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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for the Portuguese side with a dramatic winning goal in their World Cup clash against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

Neves nodded in during added time to snatch a slender win, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to overcome a resilient Ireland team.

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

However, the loss puts them staring down the barrel, with their first three qualifying group games having produced only a solitary point. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of claiming a qualifying place.

Key Incidents

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a point when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s effort had struck an Irish defender’s arm.
• Neves saved Portugal in the opening moments of stoppage time when he headed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Qualifying 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, moving above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided his team the advantage in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the points in second-half stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for his team with a neat volley in first-half added time.

Latvia struggles in their group continued as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera found the net for the visitors late on from time to claim them their first point of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Group E

Spain continued their dominant Group E campaign with a 2-0 win over Georgia after goals from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The win continued the title holders’ flawless run in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three matches without conceding.

Despite the unavailability of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgia team that spent most of the match sitting back. The home side controlled the encounter with over eighty percent possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or create a clear chance, with only shot-stopper their keeper averting a rout.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the first half from a well-executed dead-ball move, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the win in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Additional Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 thrashing over Bulgaria to stay close to the group leaders in their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was one of the scorers.
• Italy boosted their hopes of at least reaching the knockout stage with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach commented: “We’re not thinking about Norway or Israel. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the previous two World Cups, on two occasions missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their most likely opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six games. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their competitors and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. Estonia remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team face their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically catch the group leaders on points, the Norwegians’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot probably beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.