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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for the Portuguese side with a dramatic winning goal in their World Cup qualifying encounter against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Summary

Neves found the net during added time to claim a slender triumph, four years after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but in the end left empty-handed, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a battling performance that erased some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat leaves them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having yielded only a solitary point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of securing a playoff spot.

Key Moments

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of added time when he headed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Other Group Results

Group F

Hungary enhanced their chances of qualifying by securing their initial victory with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, climbing above their rivals into second place behind Portugal in the standings. Daniel Lukacs gave his team the advantage in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the victory in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

Serbia suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning England can now secure their qualification from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for Albania with a neat shot in first-half stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in their group continued as they were forced to a two-all tie at home by Andorra. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors late on from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team maintained their dominant Group E campaign with a comfortable win over Georgia after goals from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The win continued the European champions’ flawless run in the qualifiers, having notched eleven strikes in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the absence of players such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their superiority against a Georgia team that passed most of the match sitting back. The home side controlled the match with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or create a clear chance, with only shot-stopper their keeper averting a rout.

Pino opened the scoring in the first half from a well-executed set-piece routine, and his compatriot secured the win in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after Mamardashvili had denied Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Additional Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a comprehensive thrashing over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• Italy improved their hopes of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable victory away to Estonia, thanks to goals from a forward, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or our next opponents. We know what we have to do.”

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two World Cups, on two occasions falling short in the playoffs, and the dreaded backdoor route now looks their primary opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. Norway are top on 18 points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a match less played on their competitors and are a trio of points clear of Israel. Estonia stay in fourth place on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically overtake the group leaders on the table, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot probably beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.