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The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for the Portuguese side with a dramatic winner in their World Cup qualifying clash against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

Neves found the net during added time to claim a 1-0 victory, several seasons after the star striker had scored twice late on to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but in the end suffered defeat, despite restoring a good deal of honor with a battling display that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

However, the defeat puts them staring down the barrel, with their first three Group F games having yielded only a solitary point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a playoff place.

Key Moments

• Kelleher looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s shot had struck an Irish defender’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of stoppage time when he headed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Additional Group Outcomes

Group F

Hungary enhanced their hopes of qualifying by securing their first win with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, moving above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided his team the advantage in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the points in second-half added time.

England’s Group

Serbia slipped to a narrow loss at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the only goal for Albania with a neat shot in first-half stoppage time.

Latvia difficulties in Group K continued as they were forced to a 2-2 draw at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera scored for the visitors late on from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

Spain continued their impressive Group E run with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The result extended the European champions’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having notched eleven strikes in three matches without letting in a goal.

Despite the absence of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their superiority against a Georgia team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. The home side controlled the match with more than 80% of the ball, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or create a clear chance, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a rout.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a well-executed dead-ball move, and his compatriot secured the victory in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Additional Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a comprehensive thrashing over Bulgaria to stay close to the group leaders in their section. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was among the scorers.
• Italy improved their prospects of at least reaching the knockout stage with a 3-1 victory away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, another attacker, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or our next opponents. We know what we have to do.”

Italy missed out for the previous two global tournaments, on two occasions falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their most likely opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. Norway are top on eighteen points from six games. The Italians have twelve points with a game in hand on their competitors and are three points ahead of Israel. Estonia remain in fourth place on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a win would secure second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on points, the leaders’ far superior goal difference means a qualifying place probably beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.