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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a injury-time winner in their World Cup match against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Overview

Neves headed home during stoppage time to secure a 1-0 win, four years after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a gritty display that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

However, the loss leaves them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of Group F games having yielded only a single point. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of claiming a playoff place.

Major Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s effort had struck an Irish defender’s arm.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the opening moments of added time when he directed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their chances of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over the Armenian side, moving above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber secured the victory in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

Serbia suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now secure their passage from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the only goal for Albania with a neat shot in late added time.

Latvia struggles in Group K continued as they were forced to a 2-2 tie at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera scored for the visitors late on from time to earn them their first point of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Group E

Spain continued their dominant qualifying group run with a 2-0 victory over the Georgian side after strikes from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The result extended the European champions’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three matches without conceding.

Despite the absence of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. The home side dominated the encounter with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a rout.

Pino broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece routine, and his compatriot secured the victory in the second period with a stunning set-piece after Mamardashvili had denied a Spanish player’s penalty.

Other Scores

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over the Bulgarian side to stay close to Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved 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, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or our next opponents. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two global tournaments, twice missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now looks their primary chance after Norway’s comprehensive hammering over Israel in Group I. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have 12 points with a match less played on their competitors and are three points ahead of their next opponents. The Estonian squad stay in fourth place on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host Israel on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch the group leaders on points, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place probably beckons for the Italian squad.