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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for Portugal with a dramatic decisive strike in their World Cup clash against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Summary

Neves found the net during injury time to secure a narrow win, several seasons after Ronaldo had scored twice late on to defeat a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought draw, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of pride with a battling performance that erased some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

However, the defeat puts them in a difficult position, with their first three qualifying group games having produced only a solitary point. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming a qualifying place.

Major Incidents

• Kelleher seemed to have earned Ireland a draw when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s shot had struck an Irish defender’s arm.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of added time when he directed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Group Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their chances of advancing by securing their first win with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in the standings. Daniel Lukacs gave his team the lead in the first half and a teammate secured the victory in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for his team with a neat shot in first-half added time.

Latvia difficulties in their group continued as they were forced to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors late on from time to earn them their first point of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their impressive qualifying group run with a comfortable win over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The result extended the title holders’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having scored eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that passed most of the match defending deep. Spain controlled the match with over eighty percent of the ball, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper their keeper preventing a heavy defeat.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a well-executed set-piece routine, and his compatriot wrapped up the win in the second period with a stunning set-piece after the Georgian keeper had denied a Spanish player’s penalty.

Additional Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over the Bulgarian side to stay close to Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was one of the scorers.
• Italy boosted their prospects of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach said: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or our next opponents. We know what we have to do.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now appears their most likely opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 win over Israel in Group I. Norway are top on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have twelve points with a game in hand on their competitors and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad remain in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the tournament, with the runners-up entering the playoffs.

Italy face their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch the group leaders on the table, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.