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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a dramatic decisive strike in their World Cup match against Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

Neves found the net during injury time to claim a slender win, four years after the star striker had bagged a brace at the death to defeat a resilient Ireland team.

The Irish squad looked set to leave Lisbon with a well-earned point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite regaining a good deal of honor with a gritty performance that erased some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

However, the loss puts them staring down the barrel, with their first three qualifying group games having produced only a solitary point. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of claiming a playoff place.

Key Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s shot had hit Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the first minute of stoppage time when he headed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Other Group Results

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their hopes of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over the Armenian side, climbing above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the advantage in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the victory in second-half added time.

Group K

Serbia slipped to a 1-0 loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the only goal for Albania with a well-taken volley in late added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in Group K persisted as they were held to a two-all draw at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera found the net for the away side 12 minutes from time to earn them their first point of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Group E

Spain maintained their impressive qualifying group run with a 2-0 win over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The win continued the European champions’ perfect record in qualifying, having scored eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that spent most of the match defending deep. The home side dominated the encounter with more than 80% of the ball, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a heavy defeat.

Pino opened the scoring in the first half from a well-executed set-piece move, and his compatriot secured the win in the second period with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive victory over Bulgaria to stay close to the group leaders in their section. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least making the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or Israel. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now appears their primary chance after Norway’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are top on eighteen points from six games. The Italians have 12 points with a match less played on their competitors and are a trio of points ahead of their next opponents. Estonia remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the tournament, with the runners-up going into the playoffs.

Italy host their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ far superior goal ratio means a playoff spot likely beckons for the Italian squad.