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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 match against Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Summary

Neves headed home during injury time to secure a slender victory, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to leave Lisbon with a well-earned draw, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a gritty display that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

However, the loss puts them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of qualifying group matches having yielded only a single point. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of claiming a qualifying place.

Major Moments

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have earned Ireland a point when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s effort had struck Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the opening moments of stoppage time when he headed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Group Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their chances of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal triumph over Armenia, moving above their rivals into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave his team the advantage in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the points in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now secure their passage from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the only goal for Albania with a well-taken volley in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in their group persisted as they were held to a two-all draw at home by Andorra. An Andorran player scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their first point of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Group E

Spain maintained their dominant Group E run with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The result extended the title holders’ perfect record in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and Rodri due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their dominance against a Georgia team that spent most of the match sitting back. Spain controlled the match with more than 80% of the ball, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or create a clear chance, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a rout.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a well-executed set-piece routine, and his compatriot wrapped up the win in the second period with a spectacular free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Other Scores

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on Spain in Group E. Real Madrid’s a young talent was one of the goal-getters.
• Italy boosted their prospects of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach said: “We’re not thinking about Norway or Israel. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri missed out for the last two World Cups, on two occasions missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now appears their most likely opportunity after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive win over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are leading on eighteen points from six matches. Italy have 12 points with a game in hand on their competitors and are three points ahead of their next opponents. The Estonian squad remain in fourth place on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the World Cup, with the runners-up going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.