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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp winner in their World Cup clash against Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a penalty from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

Neves nodded in during added time to secure a slender win, several seasons after the star striker had scored twice at the death to defeat a resilient Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a well-earned point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite regaining a significant amount of honor with a battling performance that erased some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss puts them facing elimination, with their first three qualifying group matches having yielded only a single draw. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of securing a qualifying place.

Key Moments

• Kelleher seemed to have earned Ireland a point when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s shot had struck an Irish defender’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of added time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Group Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their chances of qualifying by picking up their first win with a two-goal victory over Armenia, moving above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in the standings. Daniel Lukacs gave his team the lead in the first half and a teammate made sure of the points in second-half added time.

Group K

Serbia suffered a narrow loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the only goal for Albania with a well-taken volley in first-half stoppage time.

Latvia difficulties in their group persisted as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. 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 winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

Spain maintained their dominant Group E campaign with a comfortable win over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The win continued the European champions’ perfect record in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgia team that passed the majority of the game defending deep. Spain controlled the encounter with more than 80% of the ball, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper their keeper averting a rout.

The scorer opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece move, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the 64th minute with a stunning set-piece after the Georgian keeper had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Additional Scores

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive thrashing over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. 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 comfortable victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach commented: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or Israel. We are aware of what we have to do.”

Italy missed out for the previous two global tournaments, twice missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now appears their primary chance after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive hammering over Israel in Group I. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a game in hand on their competitors and are three points clear of Israel. Estonia remain fourth on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the playoffs.

Italy host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure second spot and, while they can still mathematically overtake the group leaders on points, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a playoff spot probably beckons for the Italian squad.