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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for Portugal with a last-gasp winning goal in their World Cup qualifying clash against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

Neves found the net during added time to snatch a slender win, several seasons after Ronaldo had bagged a brace at the death to defeat a stubborn Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a well-earned point, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite restoring a good deal of honor with a battling performance that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

However, the loss leaves them in a difficult position, with their first three Group F games having produced only a solitary point. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a qualifying place.

Major Moments

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s effort had hit an Irish defender’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Other Qualifying Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team enhanced their hopes of advancing by securing their first win with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, moving above their rivals into second place behind Portugal in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the points in late stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now secure their passage from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken volley in first-half stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in their group persisted as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by Andorra. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their first point of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Group E

Spain maintained their dominant Group E campaign with a 2-0 victory over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The result extended the title holders’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having scored eleven strikes in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of the absence of players such as a talented winger, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgia team that spent the majority of the game defending deep. Spain controlled the encounter with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper their keeper preventing a heavy defeat.

Pino opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a well-executed dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Additional Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 victory over the Bulgarian side to stay close to Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

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

Italy missed out for the previous two World Cups, on two occasions falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now looks their primary opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive hammering over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. Norway are leading on 18 points from six games. The Italians have 12 points with a match less played on their rivals and are three points ahead of their next opponents. Estonia stay fourth on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the qualifying stage.

Italy host Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch the group leaders on points, the leaders’ far superior goal ratio means a playoff spot likely beckons for the Italian squad.