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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a dramatic winner in their World Cup qualifying encounter against Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

Neves nodded in during stoppage time to snatch a 1-0 victory, several seasons after Ronaldo had scored twice late on to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a well-earned point, but in the end suffered defeat, despite regaining a significant amount of honor with a gritty display that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

However, the defeat puts them facing elimination, with their first three qualifying group matches having yielded only a solitary draw. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a playoff place.

Key Incidents

• Kelleher seemed to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s effort had hit an Irish defender’s hand.
• Neves saved Portugal in the opening moments of added time when he directed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary enhanced their hopes of advancing by securing their initial victory with a 2-0 victory over the Armenian side, climbing above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in the standings. Daniel Lukacs gave Hungary the lead in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the victory in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

Serbia suffered 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 defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the only goal for his team with a well-taken shot in first-half stoppage time.

Latvia struggles in their group continued as they were held to a two-all draw 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 qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Group E

The Spanish national team continued their impressive Group E campaign with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in Elche. The win extended the European champions’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having notched eleven strikes in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as a talented winger, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgia team that passed most of the match sitting back. Spain controlled the encounter with over eighty percent of the ball, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or generate a clear chance, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a heavy defeat.

Pino opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a well-executed dead-ball routine, and his compatriot secured the victory in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s penalty.

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 improved their prospects of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory 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 Norway or Israel. We know what we have to do.”

The Azzurri missed out for the last two global tournaments, twice falling short in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their most likely opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in Group I. The Norwegians are top on eighteen points from six games. Italy have twelve points with a game in hand on their competitors and are three points clear of their next opponents. Estonia stay in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the playoffs.

The Italian national team host Israel on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake Norway on the table, the leaders’ far superior goal ratio means a qualifying place likely beckons for the Italian squad.