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The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp winning goal in their World Cup match against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Overview

Neves headed home during stoppage time to claim a 1-0 triumph, several seasons after Ronaldo had bagged a brace at the death to defeat a resilient Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a well-earned draw, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of honor with a battling display that erased some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them facing elimination, with their initial trio of Group F matches having yielded only a single point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming a playoff spot.

Key Moments

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have earned Ireland a point when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s shot had hit an Irish defender’s hand.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of stoppage time when he directed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their chances of advancing by securing their first win with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, moving above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in the standings. Daniel Lukacs gave his team the advantage in the opening period and a teammate secured the victory in late added time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 loss at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now secure their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken volley in late added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in Group K persisted as they were forced to a 2-2 tie at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera scored for the away side late on from time to earn them their first point of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their dominant qualifying group run with a comfortable win over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The result continued the European champions’ flawless run in qualifying, having notched 11 goals in three games without conceding.

In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game defending deep. Spain controlled the encounter with more than 80% of the ball, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or create a clear chance, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the 64th minute with a spectacular free kick after Mamardashvili had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• Turkey bounced back with a comprehensive thrashing over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in Group E. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was among the goal-getters.
• Italy boosted their hopes of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, another attacker, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach said: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or Israel. We are aware of what we have to do.”

The Azzurri missed out for the last two World Cups, on two occasions falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their primary chance after Norway’s comprehensive hammering over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are top on eighteen points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a match less played on their rivals and are three points ahead of Israel. Estonia stay in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host Israel on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake the group leaders on the table, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place likely awaits for the Italian squad.