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

Game Overview

Neves nodded in during added time to snatch a slender victory, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to leave Lisbon with a well-earned point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a battling performance that erased some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them facing elimination, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having produced only a solitary draw. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of claiming a playoff place.

Key Moments

• Kelleher looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of stoppage time when he headed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Qualifying Results

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team enhanced their hopes of advancing by securing their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, moving above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in the standings. Daniel Lukacs provided Hungary the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the victory in second-half added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a narrow loss at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning England can now secure their qualification from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the only goal for Albania with a neat volley in late added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in their group continued as they were forced to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team maintained their impressive Group E campaign with a 2-0 victory over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The result continued the title holders’ perfect record in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three matches without letting in a goal.

Despite the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game defending deep. The home side controlled the match with over eighty percent of the ball, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

Pino broke the deadlock in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and his compatriot secured the win in the second period with a spectacular free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a comprehensive thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• Italy improved their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a comfortable win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach commented: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or our next opponents. We know what we have to do.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, twice falling short in the playoffs, and the feared playoff path now appears their most likely opportunity after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive hammering over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are leading on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have twelve points with a match less played on their rivals and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would secure second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch the group leaders on the table, the leaders’ far superior goal difference means a qualifying place likely beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.