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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for Portugal with a injury-time decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying clash against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

Neves headed home during stoppage time to snatch a narrow triumph, several seasons after the star striker had scored twice at the death to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought point, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of honor with a gritty performance that erased some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

However, the defeat leaves them in a difficult position, with their first three qualifying group games having produced only a solitary draw. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a playoff spot.

Major Incidents

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had hit an Irish defender’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Group Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their chances of qualifying by securing their initial victory with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, climbing above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided his team the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the victory in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning England can now seal their passage from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken shot in first-half added time.

Latvia struggles in their group continued as they were held to a two-all draw at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their first point of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Spain’s Group

Spain continued their impressive qualifying group campaign with a comfortable win over Georgia after strikes from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The result continued the European champions’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having scored eleven strikes in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of the absence of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgia team that passed the majority of the game defending deep. Spain dominated the encounter with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a heavy defeat.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a well-executed dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal secured the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after Mamardashvili had saved Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Other Scores

• The Turkish national team 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 a young talent was one of the goal-getters.
• Italy boosted their prospects of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable win away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or Israel. We are aware of what we have to do.”

The Azzurri missed out for the last two World Cups, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now looks their primary chance after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are top on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have twelve points with a game in hand on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of Israel. Estonia stay fourth on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the qualifying stage.

Italy face their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still theoretically overtake the group leaders on the table, the leaders’ far superior goal difference means a playoff spot probably beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.