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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp decisive strike in their World Cup encounter against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Summary

Neves headed home during stoppage time to secure a narrow triumph, four years after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to overcome a resilient Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite restoring 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 defeat puts them facing elimination, with their first three Group F games having yielded only a solitary draw. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming a qualifying spot.

Key Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have earned Ireland a point when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of added time when he directed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Results

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their chances of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, climbing above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the lead in the first half and a teammate secured the points in second-half added time.

England’s Group

Serbia suffered a 1-0 loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now secure their passage from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for his team with a neat volley in first-half stoppage time.

Latvia difficulties in their group continued as they were held to a 2-2 draw at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera found the net for the visitors late on from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their dominant qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 victory over Georgia after strikes from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in Elche. The result extended the European champions’ flawless run in qualifying, having scored 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 the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their superiority against a Georgia team that spent the majority of the game sitting back. The home side controlled the match with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a rout.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken set-piece routine, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had denied a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• Turkey bounced back with a comprehensive victory over Bulgaria to stay close to the group leaders in Group E. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the scorers.
• Italy improved their prospects of at least making the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to Estonia, thanks to goals from a forward, another attacker, and a third scorer.

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

Italy missed out for the last two World Cups, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the feared playoff path now looks their primary chance after Norway’s comprehensive hammering over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are leading on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have 12 points with a match less played on their competitors and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad stay fourth on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team face their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would secure second spot and, while they can still mathematically overtake Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a qualifying place probably beckons for the Italian squad.