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The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for Portugal with a injury-time winning goal in their World Cup encounter against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Overview

Neves found the net during stoppage time to snatch a narrow win, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to overcome a resilient Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a gritty performance that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

However, the defeat puts them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of qualifying group matches having yielded only a solitary draw. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a qualifying place.

Key Moments

• Kelleher seemed to have secured Ireland a draw when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had struck an Irish defender’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of added time when he headed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Other Group Results

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their chances of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, moving above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs gave his team the lead in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the victory in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

Serbia suffered a narrow loss at home to Albania, 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 decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken volley in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K continued as they were forced to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player found the net for the away side 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Group E

The Spanish national team continued their dominant qualifying group run with a comfortable victory over the Georgian side after goals from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in Elche. The win continued the European champions’ flawless run in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three games without letting in a goal.

Despite the unavailability of players such as a talented winger, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game defending deep. The home side dominated the encounter with more than 80% of the ball, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a heavy defeat.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a well-executed dead-ball move, and Oyarzabal secured the victory in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Other Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad boosted their prospects of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable win away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from a forward, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or Israel. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

Italy failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, twice falling short in the playoffs, and the feared playoff path now appears their most likely chance after Norway’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in Group I. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have twelve points with a match less played on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of their next opponents. The Estonian squad remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically overtake Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal difference means a playoff spot likely awaits for the Italian squad.