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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 Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

Neves nodded in during stoppage time to snatch a slender triumph, four years after the star striker had bagged a brace at the death to defeat a stubborn Ireland team.

The Irish squad appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a gritty display that erased some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

However, the defeat leaves them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of qualifying group matches having produced only a single point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a qualifying spot.

Major Moments

• Kelleher seemed to have secured Ireland a point when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s shot had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of added time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Results

Group F

Hungary enhanced their chances of advancing by picking up their first win with a two-goal triumph over Armenia, climbing above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the lead in the first half and Zsombor Gruber secured the points in second-half added time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now secure their passage from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken shot in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side difficulties in their group continued as they were forced to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. 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 five games.

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their dominant qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 win over Georgia after goals from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The result extended the European champions’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having notched eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

Despite the absence of key figures such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that passed most of the match defending deep. 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 scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper their keeper averting a rout.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the first half from a expertly taken set-piece routine, and Oyarzabal secured the victory in the second period with a stunning set-piece after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Other Results

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was one of the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach commented: “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 playoffs, and the feared backdoor route now looks their primary chance after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive win over Israel in their qualifying group. Norway are top on 18 points from six matches. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points clear of Israel. The Estonian squad stay fourth on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the qualifying stage.

Italy face their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch the group leaders on points, the Norwegians’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place likely beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.