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The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for Portugal with a dramatic winner in their World Cup qualifying match against Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Summary

Neves headed home during injury time to snatch a narrow victory, four years after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to overcome a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought draw, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a gritty performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss puts them facing elimination, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having produced only a single draw. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of claiming a playoff spot.

Major Moments

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s effort had hit an Irish defender’s hand.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the first minute of stoppage time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Group Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their chances of advancing by securing their initial victory with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, climbing above their rivals into second place behind Portugal in Group F. Daniel Lukacs provided Hungary the lead in the first half and a teammate made sure of the points in second-half added time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow defeat at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now secure their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the only goal for Albania with a neat shot in first-half stoppage time.

The Latvian side difficulties in their group persisted as they were forced to a 2-2 draw at home by Andorra. An Andorran player found the net for the away side 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

Spain continued their dominant Group E campaign with a 2-0 win over Georgia after goals from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The win continued the European champions’ perfect record in qualifying, having scored 11 goals in three matches without conceding.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that spent most of the match defending deep. The home side dominated the encounter with over eighty percent of the ball, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a rout.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece move, and Oyarzabal secured the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning set-piece after Mamardashvili had denied a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Additional Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive victory over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, another attacker, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach said: “We’re not thinking about Norway or Israel. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

Italy failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now appears their primary opportunity after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 hammering over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six games. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of their next opponents. The Estonian squad remain fourth on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides entering the playoffs.

The Italian national team host their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch the group leaders on the table, the leaders’ far superior goal difference means a qualifying place probably beckons for the Italian squad.