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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for Portugal with a last-gasp winning goal in their World Cup match against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Overview

Neves found the net during injury time to claim a narrow triumph, four years after the star striker had scored twice at the death to defeat 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 restoring a good deal of honor with a gritty performance that erased some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

However, the loss puts them facing elimination, with their first three qualifying group matches having produced only a solitary draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a qualifying spot.

Key Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s effort had struck an Irish defender’s arm.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the first minute of added time when he headed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Group Results

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, moving above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the lead in the first half and a teammate made sure of the victory in second-half added time.

England’s Group

Serbia slipped to a narrow loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the decisive strike for his team with a neat volley in first-half added time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K continued as they were held to a 2-2 draw at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera found the net for the away side 12 minutes from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team maintained their dominant Group E run with a 2-0 victory over the Georgian side after goals from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in Elche. The result continued the title holders’ flawless run in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. Spain controlled the match with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a well-executed dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal secured the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning set-piece after Mamardashvili had denied a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Other Scores

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a 6-1 victory over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on Spain in their section. The Spanish club’s a young talent was among the scorers.
• Italy improved their prospects of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach commented: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or Israel. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri missed out for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now looks their primary chance after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are leading on eighteen points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a match less played on their rivals and are three points ahead of Israel. Estonia remain fourth on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the qualifying stage.

Italy face their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on points, the leaders’ far superior goal ratio means a playoff spot probably awaits for the Italian squad.