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The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for Portugal with a injury-time decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying encounter against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had denied a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Summary

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

The Irish squad looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned point, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a battling display that erased some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat puts them in a difficult position, with their first three qualifying group games having produced only a single draw. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a qualifying spot.

Key Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of added time when he headed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their hopes of advancing by securing their first win with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, climbing above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in the standings. Daniel Lukacs provided his team the advantage in the first half and a teammate secured the points in second-half added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a narrow defeat at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now seal their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the decisive strike for his team with a neat volley in first-half added time.

Latvia struggles in their group persisted as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by Andorra. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

Spain continued their dominant qualifying group run with a 2-0 win over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in Elche. The win extended the title holders’ perfect record in the qualifiers, having notched 11 goals in three games without conceding.

In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to injuries, the Spanish squad demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. The home side controlled the encounter with over eighty percent possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

Pino opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball move, and his compatriot wrapped up the win in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Other Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was one of the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad boosted their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach said: “We’re not thinking about Norway or Israel. We know what we have to do.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the feared backdoor route now looks their most likely opportunity after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive win over Israel in Group I. Norway are top on 18 points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a game in hand on their competitors and are three points clear of their next opponents. The Estonian squad remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the runners-up going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake Norway on points, the Norwegians’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot probably awaits for the Italian squad.