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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp winning goal in their World Cup qualifying clash against Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had denied a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Overview

Neves found the net during added time to secure a 1-0 victory, several seasons after Ronaldo had scored twice late on to overcome a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a well-earned draw, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of honor with a battling display that erased some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss puts them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of Group F matches having yielded only a solitary point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of claiming a qualifying spot.

Key Incidents

• Kelleher seemed to have secured Ireland a point when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s effort had struck an Irish defender’s arm.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of stoppage time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

Hungary enhanced their chances of advancing by picking up their first win with a 2-0 triumph over the Armenian side, climbing above their rivals into second place behind the group leaders in the standings. Daniel Lukacs gave Hungary the lead in the first half and a teammate secured the points in second-half stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now secure their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the decisive strike for Albania with a neat volley in late added time.

Latvia struggles in Group K continued as they were held to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player found the net for the away side 12 minutes from time to claim them their first point of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their dominant qualifying group campaign with a comfortable win over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in Elche. The result extended the European champions’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having notched 11 goals in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of 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 Georgia team that passed most of the match sitting back. The home side dominated the match with more than 80% possession, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a heavy defeat.

Pino broke the deadlock in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball move, and his compatriot secured the victory in the second period with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Additional Results

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a 6-1 thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in their section. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was one of the scorers.
• The Italian squad boosted their prospects of at least reaching the knockout stage with a 3-1 win away to Estonia, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or our next opponents. We know what we have to do.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the previous two global tournaments, on two occasions falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their most likely chance after Norway’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in Group I. Norway are leading on 18 points from six games. The Italians have twelve points with a game in hand on their competitors and are three points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad stay in fourth place on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the playoffs.

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