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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp winner in their World Cup qualifying clash against Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Summary

Neves headed home during added time to snatch a 1-0 triumph, several seasons after Ronaldo had scored twice late on to overcome a stubborn Ireland team.

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

Nevertheless, the loss puts them in a difficult position, with their first three Group F matches having produced only a solitary draw. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of claiming a playoff place.

Key Moments

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have secured Ireland a point when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of stoppage time when he headed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their chances of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over the Armenian side, moving above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in Group F. Daniel Lukacs provided his team the lead in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the points in late added time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 loss at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for his team with a neat volley in late added time.

The Latvian side struggles in their group persisted as they were held to a 2-2 draw at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera found the net for the away side late on from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Group E

Spain maintained their impressive 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 win continued the title holders’ flawless run in the qualifiers, having notched 11 goals in three games without conceding.

Despite the absence of players such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad demonstrated their dominance against a Georgian team that passed the majority of the game defending deep. The home side dominated the match with over eighty percent possession, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or create a clear chance, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a rout.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the first half from a expertly taken set-piece move, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after Mamardashvili had denied Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Other Scores

• Turkey bounced back with a 6-1 thrashing over the Bulgarian side to stay close to Spain in Group E. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was one of the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

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

Italy missed out for the previous two global tournaments, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now looks their primary chance after Norway’s 5-0 hammering over Israel in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six games. The Italians have twelve points with a match less played on their competitors and are a trio of points ahead of their next opponents. The Estonian squad remain fourth on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the World Cup, with the runners-up going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a win would secure second spot and, while they can still theoretically overtake Norway on points, the leaders’ far superior goal ratio means a qualifying place probably beckons for the Italian squad.