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The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp winner in their World Cup encounter against Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

Neves headed home during injury time to claim a 1-0 triumph, four years after the star striker had scored twice late on to overcome a resilient Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but in the end suffered defeat, 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 defeat puts them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of qualifying group matches having yielded only a single draw. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a playoff place.

Key Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have earned Ireland a draw when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s effort had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of added time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Group Results

Group F

Hungary boosted their chances of qualifying by securing their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs provided his team the lead in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the points in second-half added time.

Group K

Serbia suffered a narrow loss at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for his team with a neat shot in first-half added time.

Latvia struggles 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 late on from time to claim them their first point of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Group E

Spain continued their dominant Group E campaign with a 2-0 win over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The result extended the title holders’ flawless record in qualifying, having notched 11 goals in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that passed the majority of the game defending deep. The home side controlled the encounter with over eighty percent of the ball, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a rout.

Pino broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece routine, and his compatriot wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a spectacular free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied a Spanish player’s penalty.

Additional Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on Spain in Group E. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad boosted their prospects of at least reaching the knockout stage with a 3-1 victory away to Estonia, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach commented: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or our next opponents. We know our responsibilities.”

Italy failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, on two occasions falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now looks their most likely opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive hammering over Israel in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are leading on 18 points from six games. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their competitors and are three points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad remain in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

Italy face their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake the group leaders on points, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a qualifying place probably awaits for the Italian squad.