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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for Portugal with a dramatic decisive strike in their World Cup match against Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had denied a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Summary

Neves headed home during injury time to snatch a narrow triumph, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace at the death to defeat a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought point, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a battling display that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat puts them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of Group F games having yielded only a single point. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of claiming a qualifying spot.

Major Incidents

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a point when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Group Outcomes

Group F

Hungary enhanced their hopes of qualifying by securing their first win with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave his team the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber secured the victory in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

Serbia slipped to a narrow loss at home to Albania, with the result meaning England can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the only goal for Albania with a neat volley in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side difficulties in Group K persisted as they were forced to a 2-2 draw at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera scored for the away side 12 minutes from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Group E

Spain continued their impressive qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 victory over Georgia after strikes from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in Elche. The result continued the European champions’ perfect record in qualifying, having notched 11 goals in three matches without letting in a goal.

Despite the absence of players such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgia team that spent the majority of the game sitting back. The home side dominated the encounter with over eighty percent of the ball, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or generate a clear chance, with only goalkeeper their keeper preventing a heavy defeat.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a well-executed set-piece routine, and his compatriot wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a spectacular free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• Turkey bounced back with a 6-1 thrashing over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in their section. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was among the goal-getters.
• Italy boosted their prospects of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable win away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from a forward, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or Israel. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

Italy missed out for the last two World Cups, on two occasions falling short in the playoffs, and the feared backdoor route now appears their primary chance after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive hammering over Israel in their qualifying group. Norway are top on eighteen points from six matches. Italy have twelve points with a game in hand on their rivals 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 entering the playoffs.

Italy host their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically overtake Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot probably beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.