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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a dramatic winner in their World Cup qualifying clash against the Republic of Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

Neves headed home during injury time to secure a 1-0 triumph, several seasons after Ronaldo had scored twice at the death to overcome a stubborn Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but in the end suffered defeat, despite restoring a good deal of honor with a battling display that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

However, the loss puts them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having yielded only a solitary draw. They must beat 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 draw when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s shot had hit an Irish defender’s hand.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the first minute of stoppage time when he headed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Group Results

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their hopes of advancing by picking up their first win with a two-goal victory over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave his team the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber secured the victory in late added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now seal their qualification from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the only goal for his team with a neat volley in late added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in their group continued as they were forced to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their dominant qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 victory over the Georgian side after goals from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The win extended the title holders’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having scored eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

In spite of the absence of players such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that passed the majority of the game defending deep. The home side dominated the match with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper their keeper averting a rout.

Pino opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece move, and his compatriot wrapped up the win in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Other Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 thrashing over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on the group leaders in their section. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was one of the goal-getters.
• Italy improved their prospects of at least making the knockout stage with a comfortable win away to Estonia, thanks to goals from a forward, another attacker, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or Israel. We are aware of what we have to do.”

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two World Cups, on two occasions falling short in the playoffs, and the dreaded backdoor route now looks their most likely opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in Group I. Norway are leading on 18 points from six matches. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their competitors and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. Estonia stay fourth on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the playoffs.

The Italian national team face their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure second spot and, while they can still mathematically overtake Norway on the table, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place likely beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.