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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp winning goal in their World Cup qualifying clash against Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had saved a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Summary

Neves found the net during injury time to secure a slender victory, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace at the death to overcome a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought draw, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of honor with a gritty display that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss puts them facing elimination, with their first three Group F games having produced only a single draw. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a qualifying spot.

Key Moments

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have earned Ireland a point when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s effort had hit Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of added time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their hopes of qualifying by securing their first win with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, moving above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided his team the advantage in the opening period and a teammate secured the victory in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

Serbia slipped to a 1-0 defeat at home to Albania, with the result meaning England can now secure their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the only goal for his team with a well-taken shot in late added time.

Latvia difficulties in Group K continued as they were forced to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera found the net for the visitors late on from time to earn them their first point of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their impressive qualifying group run with a comfortable win over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in Elche. The win continued the European champions’ flawless record in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three matches without conceding.

Despite the unavailability of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their superiority against a Georgia team that spent the majority of the game sitting back. The home side dominated the match with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a rout.

Pino opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken set-piece routine, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a spectacular free kick after Mamardashvili had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• Turkey bounced back with a 6-1 thrashing over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in Group E. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was among the scorers.
• Italy improved their prospects of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach commented: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or our next opponents. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, on two occasions missing out in the playoffs, and the feared playoff path now looks their most likely opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in Group I. Norway are top on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have twelve points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points ahead of their next opponents. Estonia stay in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the playoffs.

Italy host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically overtake Norway on points, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.