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The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for the Portuguese side with a injury-time winning goal in their World Cup qualifying match against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Overview

Neves headed home during stoppage time to secure a slender victory, four years after Ronaldo had scored twice at the death to defeat a stubborn Ireland team.

The Irish squad looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite regaining a good deal of honor with a gritty performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat puts them in a difficult position, with their first three Group F games having produced only a single point. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of securing a playoff place.

Major Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have earned Ireland a point when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s effort had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of added time when he headed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their hopes of advancing by securing their initial victory with a 2-0 victory over the Armenian side, moving above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in the standings. Daniel Lukacs gave his team the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the points in late stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning England can now secure their qualification from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the only goal for his team with a well-taken shot in late added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in their group continued as they were held to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera found the net for the away side 12 minutes from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Group E

Spain maintained their impressive qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after goals from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in Elche. The win continued the title holders’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three matches without letting in a goal.

Despite the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that spent most of the match defending deep. The home side dominated the encounter with over eighty percent of the ball, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or create a clear chance, with only goalkeeper their keeper preventing a rout.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken set-piece routine, and his compatriot secured the win in the second period with a stunning free kick after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Other Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 victory over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was one of the scorers.
• The Italian squad boosted their prospects of at least making the knockout stage with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach said: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or Israel. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

Italy failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, twice missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now looks their primary opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 win over Israel in Group I. Norway are leading on 18 points from six matches. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their competitors and are three points clear of Israel. The Estonian squad stay fourth on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host Israel on Tuesday, where a win would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically catch the group leaders on points, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.