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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for Portugal with a dramatic decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying clash against Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

Neves found the net during added time to claim a narrow triumph, four years after Ronaldo had scored twice late on to defeat a resilient Ireland team.

The Irish squad appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but in the end suffered defeat, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a battling performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

However, the loss puts them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of Group F games having produced only a single point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of claiming a playoff spot.

Key Moments

• Kelleher seemed to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s effort had struck an Irish defender’s hand.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of added time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Group Results

Group F

Hungary enhanced their hopes of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over the Armenian side, moving above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in Group F. Daniel Lukacs provided Hungary the advantage in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the points in second-half stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now secure their passage from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken shot in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K persisted as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by Andorra. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their first point of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Group E

Spain continued their impressive Group E run with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in Elche. The result extended the European champions’ perfect run in qualifying, having scored 11 goals in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the absence of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad demonstrated their superiority against a Georgia team that passed most of the match defending deep. Spain dominated the encounter with more than 80% possession, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the first half from a well-executed set-piece move, and his compatriot secured the victory in the 64th minute with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over the Bulgarian side to stay close to Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was one of the goal-getters.
• Italy improved their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable win away to Estonia, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

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

Italy failed to qualify for the previous two World Cups, on two occasions missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now appears their most likely chance after Norway’s comprehensive hammering over the Israeli side in Group I. Norway are top on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. Estonia remain fourth on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

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 Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a qualifying place probably awaits for the Italian squad.