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The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for the Portuguese side with a injury-time winning goal in their World Cup clash against Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Summary

Neves nodded in during added time to snatch a slender victory, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of honor with a gritty performance that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

However, the defeat puts them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of Group F matches having produced only a single draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming a playoff place.

Major Moments

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a point when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s effort had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves saved Portugal in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Group Results

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their hopes of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, moving above their rivals into second place behind the group leaders in the standings. Daniel Lukacs provided Hungary the advantage in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the victory in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team suffered a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their qualification from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the only goal for his team with a well-taken volley in late added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in Group K continued as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player found the net for the away side 12 minutes from time to earn them their first point of the qualifying campaign and prolong 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 the Georgian side after strikes from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win extended the European champions’ flawless run in qualifying, having scored 11 goals in three matches without conceding.

Despite the unavailability of players such as a talented winger, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that spent most of the match sitting back. The home side controlled the encounter with over eighty percent of the ball, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

Pino opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a well-executed set-piece move, and his compatriot secured the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Additional Results

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a comprehensive thrashing over Bulgaria to stay close to the group leaders in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was one of the goal-getters.
• Italy improved their prospects of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach commented: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or our next opponents. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

Italy failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now looks their most likely chance after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 win over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are leading on 18 points from six matches. Italy have twelve points with a match less played on their competitors and are three points ahead of Israel. Estonia remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ far superior goal ratio means a qualifying place likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.