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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for Portugal with a injury-time decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying match against the Republic of Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had denied a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Summary

Neves nodded in during stoppage time to claim a slender triumph, four years after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to defeat a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned point, but in the end suffered defeat, despite restoring a good deal of honor with a battling display that erased some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat puts them facing elimination, with their initial trio of qualifying group matches having produced only a solitary point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of securing a playoff spot.

Key Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s effort had struck Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the opening moments of added time when he headed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

Hungary boosted their hopes of advancing by securing their initial victory with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, moving above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in the standings. Daniel Lukacs gave his team the lead in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the points in second-half stoppage time.

Group K

Serbia suffered a narrow defeat 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 only goal for Albania with a neat volley in late added time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K persisted as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the away side late on from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

Spain maintained their impressive qualifying group run with a 2-0 victory over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The win extended the European champions’ flawless run in qualifying, having notched 11 goals in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that spent most of the match sitting back. The home side controlled the match with over eighty percent possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a well-executed dead-ball move, and his compatriot wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had saved a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 thrashing over the Bulgarian side to stay close to Spain in their section. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad boosted their hopes of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from a forward, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or Israel. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

Italy missed out for the last two global tournaments, twice missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now appears their most likely opportunity after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 win over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six games. Italy have twelve points with a game in hand on their rivals and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad remain fourth on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the tournament, with the second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically overtake the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place probably beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.