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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for Portugal with a injury-time winner in their World Cup qualifying encounter against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had denied a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

Neves headed home during stoppage time to secure a 1-0 triumph, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace at the death to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but in the end suffered defeat, despite regaining a significant amount of honor with a gritty display that erased some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat leaves them facing elimination, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having yielded only a solitary point. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of securing a playoff place.

Key Moments

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s effort had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Other Group Results

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of qualifying by securing their first win with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, climbing above their rivals into second place behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the advantage in the opening period and a teammate secured the victory in second-half added time.

Group K

Serbia suffered a 1-0 loss at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now secure their passage from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the only goal for Albania with a neat shot in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in their group persisted as they were forced to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera found the net for the away side late on from time to claim them their first point of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Group E

The Spanish national team continued their impressive Group E campaign with a 2-0 victory over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The win extended the title holders’ flawless run in the qualifiers, having notched eleven strikes in three matches without conceding.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad demonstrated their superiority against a Georgia team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. Spain controlled the match with more than 80% of the ball, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or generate a clear chance, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a rout.

Pino opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece move, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the second period with a stunning free kick after Mamardashvili had saved Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Additional Results

• Turkey bounced back with a 6-1 thrashing over the Bulgarian side to stay close to the group leaders in Group E. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad boosted their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

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

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now appears their most likely chance after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 hammering over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. Norway are leading on 18 points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points ahead of their next opponents. The Estonian squad stay fourth on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the runners-up entering the playoffs.

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