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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for Portugal with a injury-time winner in their World Cup clash against Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a penalty from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

Neves nodded in during injury time to secure a slender victory, several seasons after Ronaldo had bagged a brace at the death to defeat a resilient Ireland team.

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

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them staring down the barrel, with their first three qualifying group games having produced only a single point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of securing a qualifying spot.

Key Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s effort had hit Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the opening moments of stoppage time when he headed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Group Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over the Armenian side, climbing above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave his team the advantage in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the victory in late stoppage time.

Group K

Serbia slipped to a 1-0 defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the only goal for Albania with a well-taken volley in late stoppage time.

Latvia difficulties in Group K continued as they were forced to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their first point of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their impressive qualifying group run with a comfortable victory over the Georgian side after goals from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in Elche. The win continued the European champions’ flawless record in qualifying, having scored eleven strikes in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that passed most of the match sitting back. Spain controlled the match with over eighty percent of the ball, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only goalkeeper their keeper preventing a heavy defeat.

Pino broke the deadlock in the first half from a well-executed set-piece routine, and his compatriot wrapped up the win in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Additional Scores

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a comprehensive thrashing over Bulgaria to stay close to the group leaders in their section. The Spanish club’s a young talent was one of the scorers.
• Italy improved their prospects of at least making the knockout stage with a comfortable win away to Estonia, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “We’re not thinking about Norway or our next opponents. We are aware of what we have to do.”

The Azzurri missed out for the last two World Cups, on two occasions falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now appears their most likely opportunity after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 win over Israel in their qualifying group. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six matches. Italy have twelve points with a match less played on their rivals and are three points clear of their next opponents. The Estonian squad remain fourth on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the tournament, with the runners-up going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake Norway on points, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot likely awaits for the Italian squad.