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The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying clash against Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had saved a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Summary

Neves headed home during injury time to secure a narrow triumph, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to overcome a resilient Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of honor with a gritty performance that erased some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them facing elimination, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having yielded only a single draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a qualifying place.

Key Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had hit 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.

Other Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their chances of advancing by securing their first win with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, moving above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the lead in the first half and Zsombor Gruber secured the points in second-half added time.

Group K

Serbia suffered a narrow defeat at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now secure their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for Albania with a neat volley in late added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in their group persisted as they were held to a 2-2 draw at home by Andorra. An Andorran player scored for the away side 12 minutes from time to earn them their first point of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their dominant qualifying group run with a 2-0 win over Georgia after strikes from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The win continued the European champions’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three matches without conceding.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that passed most of the match defending deep. The home side dominated the match with more than 80% possession, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or create a clear chance, with only shot-stopper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece move, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the win in the 64th minute with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had denied a Spanish player’s penalty.

Other Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was among the goal-getters.
• Italy boosted their prospects of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to Estonia, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach said: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or Israel. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri missed out for the last two global tournaments, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now appears their primary chance after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive win over Israel in their qualifying group. Norway are top on 18 points from six games. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points clear of Israel. The Estonian squad remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the tournament, 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 mathematically catch the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a qualifying place probably beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.