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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for Portugal with a last-gasp winning goal in their World Cup qualifying encounter against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Overview

Neves headed home during added time to claim a 1-0 triumph, four years after the star striker had scored twice at the death to defeat a resilient Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought draw, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a gritty performance that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

However, the loss puts them facing elimination, with their first three Group F games having produced only a solitary draw. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming a qualifying place.

Major Moments

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s effort had hit an Irish defender’s hand.
• Neves saved Portugal in the opening moments of added time when he headed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Results

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their hopes of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, climbing above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in the standings. Daniel Lukacs gave his team the lead in the first half and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the points in second-half added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow loss at home to Albania, with the result meaning England can now seal their qualification from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken shot in late added time.

Latvia difficulties in Group K persisted as they were forced to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their first point of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

Spain continued their dominant Group E campaign with a 2-0 victory over the Georgian side after strikes from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The win extended the title holders’ perfect record in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game sitting back. The home side dominated the encounter with more than 80% of the ball, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only goalkeeper their keeper averting a rout.

Pino opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece move, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a spectacular free kick after Mamardashvili had denied Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Additional Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive victory over the Bulgarian side to stay close to the group leaders in Group E. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad boosted their prospects of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach said: “We’re not thinking about Norway or Israel. We know what we have to do.”

Italy failed to qualify for the previous two World Cups, twice missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now looks their most likely opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive win over Israel in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are leading on 18 points from six matches. The Italians have 12 points with a match less played on their rivals and are three points clear of Israel. Estonia stay in fourth place on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the playoffs.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake the group leaders on points, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place probably beckons for the Italian squad.