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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a injury-time decisive strike in their World Cup clash against Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Overview

Neves nodded in during stoppage time to claim a slender triumph, four years after Ronaldo had scored twice late on to defeat a stubborn Ireland team.

The Irish squad appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought draw, but in the end suffered defeat, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a gritty display that erased some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat leaves them facing elimination, with their first three Group F matches having produced only a solitary draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a playoff spot.

Major Incidents

• Kelleher looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s shot had hit an Irish defender’s hand.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of added time when he headed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Other Qualifying Results

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team boosted their chances of advancing by picking up their first win with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, moving above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave his team the advantage in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the victory in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 loss at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning England can now seal their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the only goal for Albania with a neat shot in first-half stoppage time.

Latvia struggles in their group persisted as they were forced to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the away side 12 minutes from time to claim them their first point of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their impressive qualifying group run with a comfortable victory over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The result continued the title holders’ flawless run in qualifying, having scored 11 goals in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that passed the majority of the game defending deep. The home side dominated the match with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a rout.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a well-executed dead-ball routine, and his compatriot wrapped up the victory in the second period with a stunning set-piece after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 victory over Bulgaria to stay close to the group leaders in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was one of the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “We’re not thinking about Norway or Israel. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the previous two World Cups, twice falling short in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their primary opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive hammering over Israel in their qualifying group. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six games. The Italians have twelve points with a match less played on their competitors and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad stay in fourth place on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ far superior goal ratio means a playoff spot likely beckons for the Italian squad.