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The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for Portugal with a injury-time decisive strike in their World Cup encounter against the Republic of Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had saved a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Summary

Neves nodded in during injury time to secure a slender triumph, four years after Ronaldo 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 point, but in the end left empty-handed, despite regaining a significant amount of honor with a battling performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss puts them facing elimination, with their initial trio of qualifying group matches having yielded only a solitary draw. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of securing a qualifying place.

Key Incidents

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s effort had struck Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of added time when he headed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of advancing by securing their initial victory with a 2-0 victory over the Armenian side, moving above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs gave Hungary the lead in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber secured the victory in late added time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning England can now secure their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the only goal for his team with a neat volley in first-half stoppage time.

The Latvian side difficulties in their group continued as they were forced to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Group E

Spain maintained their dominant qualifying group run with a 2-0 victory over Georgia after goals from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in Elche. The result extended the European champions’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three matches without letting in a goal.

Despite the unavailability of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that spent most of the match defending deep. The home side dominated the match with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball move, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the second period with a stunning free kick after Mamardashvili had denied Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Other Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 victory over the Bulgarian side to stay close to the group leaders in their section. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least reaching the knockout stage with a 3-1 win away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or Israel. We are aware of what we have to do.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the previous two global tournaments, twice missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now appears their primary opportunity after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive hammering over Israel in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are top on eighteen points from six games. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad remain fourth on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

The Italian national team host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake the group leaders on the table, the leaders’ far superior goal difference means a qualifying place probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.