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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp winning goal in their World Cup qualifying clash against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Overview

Neves headed home during stoppage time to secure a slender win, four years after the star striker had bagged a brace at the death to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but in the end left empty-handed, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a battling performance that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss puts them in a difficult position, with their first three qualifying group matches having produced only a single draw. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of claiming a playoff place.

Major Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have earned Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s shot had struck an Irish defender’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of stoppage time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

Hungary boosted their chances of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal victory over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the advantage in the first half and a teammate made sure of the points in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team suffered a narrow loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning England can now secure their qualification from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the only goal for his team with a well-taken volley in first-half added time.

Latvia difficulties in their group persisted as they were held to a 2-2 draw at home by Andorra. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their dominant Group E campaign with a comfortable win over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The result continued the European champions’ perfect record in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three matches without conceding.

Despite the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that spent the majority of the game sitting back. The home side dominated the encounter with more than 80% of the ball, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a rout.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a well-executed dead-ball move, and his compatriot secured the win in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Other Scores

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a 6-1 victory over Bulgaria to stay close to the group leaders in Group E. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was one of the scorers.
• Italy boosted their hopes of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable victory away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, another attacker, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach commented: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or Israel. We are aware of what we have to do.”

Italy failed to qualify for the previous two global tournaments, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their primary opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive hammering over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are top on eighteen points from six games. The Italians have twelve points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points ahead of their next opponents. Estonia stay fourth on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on points, the leaders’ far superior goal difference means a qualifying place likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.