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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a dramatic decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying match against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had denied a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Summary

Neves headed home during stoppage time to snatch a slender win, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace at the death to defeat a stubborn Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite regaining a good deal of honor with a battling performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat puts them facing elimination, with their first three qualifying group matches having produced only a single point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of claiming a qualifying spot.

Major Moments

• Kelleher seemed to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the opening moments of stoppage time when he headed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their chances of advancing by securing their initial victory with a two-goal triumph over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided his team the lead in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the victory in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 loss at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now seal their qualification from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for Albania with a neat shot in late stoppage time.

Latvia difficulties in their group continued as they were forced to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera found the net for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their first point of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

Spain maintained their dominant qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 victory over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The win continued the European champions’ flawless record in qualifying, having scored 11 goals in three games without conceding.

Despite the absence of players such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that passed most of the match defending deep. Spain dominated the match with over eighty percent of the ball, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper their keeper preventing a rout.

The scorer opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a well-executed dead-ball move, and his compatriot wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Additional Scores

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive victory over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on the group leaders in their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• Italy improved their prospects of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable win away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach commented: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or our next opponents. We know what we have to do.”

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two global tournaments, twice missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now appears their primary opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. Norway are top on 18 points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a game in hand on their competitors and are a trio of points ahead of their next opponents. Estonia stay fourth on three points. The group winners 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 win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake Norway on points, the Norwegians’ much better goal difference means a playoff spot likely beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.