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The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp winner in their World Cup qualifying match against the Republic of Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had saved a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

Neves headed home during stoppage time to secure a 1-0 triumph, several seasons after Ronaldo had bagged a brace at the death to overcome a resilient Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought draw, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a battling performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of Group F matches having produced only a solitary draw. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a playoff place.

Major Moments

• Kelleher looked to have secured Ireland a point when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s shot had hit an Irish defender’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary enhanced their hopes of advancing by securing their initial victory with a two-goal triumph over Armenia, climbing above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in the standings. Daniel Lukacs provided Hungary the lead in the first half and Zsombor Gruber secured the victory in late stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the only goal for his team with a well-taken shot in first-half added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in Group K persisted as they were forced to a two-all draw at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera found the net for the away side 12 minutes from time to claim them their first point of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Group E

Spain continued their impressive Group E campaign with a 2-0 victory over the Georgian side after goals from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The result extended the title holders’ perfect record in the qualifiers, having scored eleven strikes in three matches without conceding.

Despite the unavailability of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. Spain dominated the encounter with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt 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 set-piece routine, and his compatriot secured the win in the second period with a stunning set-piece after Mamardashvili had denied a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Additional Scores

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive victory over the Bulgarian side to stay close to Spain in their section. The Spanish club’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad boosted their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a 3-1 win away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or our next opponents. We know our responsibilities.”

Italy failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now appears their most likely chance after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive hammering over the Israeli side in Group I. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six matches. Italy have 12 points with a match less played on their rivals and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad stay in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

Italy host Israel on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically overtake the group leaders on points, the Norwegians’ far superior goal ratio means a qualifying place probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.