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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for Portugal with a injury-time decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying clash against Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Summary

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

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought draw, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of honor with a gritty display that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss puts them facing elimination, with their initial trio of Group F games having produced only a solitary point. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a playoff place.

Key Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s effort had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of stoppage time when he headed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Additional Group Results

Group F

Hungary boosted their chances of qualifying by securing their first win with a two-goal triumph over Armenia, moving above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs provided Hungary the lead in the first half and Zsombor Gruber secured the points in late added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning England can now seal their passage from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken shot in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in their group continued as they were forced to a 2-2 draw at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera found the net for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their first point of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their dominant Group E run with a comfortable win over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The win extended the European champions’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three matches without conceding.

Despite the unavailability of key figures such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgia team that spent most of the match sitting back. The home side controlled the match with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or create a clear chance, with only shot-stopper their keeper preventing a rout.

Pino opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a well-executed set-piece move, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning set-piece after Mamardashvili had denied Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Other Results

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a comprehensive thrashing over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in Group E. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to Estonia, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach said: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or our next opponents. We know what we have to do.”

Italy missed out for the previous two global tournaments, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now appears their most likely chance after Norway’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in Group I. Norway are top on 18 points from six games. The Italians have 12 points with a match less played on their rivals and are three points clear of Israel. Estonia remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

Italy face Israel on Tuesday, where a win would secure second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch the group leaders on points, the leaders’ far superior goal ratio means a qualifying place likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.