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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for Portugal with a injury-time winning goal in their World Cup qualifying encounter against Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had denied a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Summary

Neves nodded in during added time to snatch a 1-0 triumph, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace at the death to defeat a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite restoring a good deal of honor with a gritty display that erased some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss puts them facing elimination, with their initial trio of Group F games having produced only a single point. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of securing a playoff spot.

Major Moments

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s effort had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the first minute of stoppage time when he headed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Qualifying Results

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their hopes of advancing by picking up their first win with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, moving above their rivals into second place behind Portugal in the standings. Daniel Lukacs provided his team the lead in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber secured the victory in late added time.

England’s Group

Serbia slipped to a 1-0 loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning England can now seal their qualification from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the decisive strike for Albania with a neat shot in late added time.

Latvia difficulties in their group persisted as they were forced to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera found the net for the away side 12 minutes from time to claim them their first point of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Group E

The Spanish national team continued their impressive Group E run with a comfortable win over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The result continued the European champions’ flawless record in qualifying, having scored 11 goals in three matches without letting in a goal.

Despite the absence of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. Spain controlled the encounter with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or create a clear chance, with only shot-stopper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

Pino broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a well-executed dead-ball routine, and his compatriot secured the victory in the 64th minute with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had denied a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Other Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 victory over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad boosted their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach commented: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or Israel. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

Italy missed out for the previous two World Cups, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded backdoor route now looks their primary opportunity after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive win over Israel in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are leading on 18 points from six games. The Italians have 12 points with a match less played on their competitors and are three points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the tournament, with the second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

Italy host 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 ratio means a qualifying place likely beckons for the Italian squad.