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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a injury-time winner in their World Cup qualifying clash against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

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

The Irish squad looked set to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought draw, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of honor with a battling performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

However, the defeat puts them facing elimination, with their initial trio of Group F games having produced only a single draw. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of claiming a playoff place.

Major Moments

• Kelleher seemed to have secured Ireland a point when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s shot had hit Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of stoppage time when he directed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Additional Group Results

Portugal’s Group

Hungary enhanced their chances of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in the standings. Daniel Lukacs provided his team the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber secured the points in second-half added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now secure their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the only goal for Albania with a well-taken shot in late added time.

Latvia difficulties in Group K continued as they were forced to a two-all draw at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their first point of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Group E

Spain maintained their dominant qualifying group run with a comfortable victory over the Georgian side after strikes from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The result extended the European champions’ flawless run in the qualifiers, having notched eleven strikes in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and Rodri due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their dominance against a Georgia team that spent most of the match defending deep. Spain controlled the match with over eighty percent of the ball, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only goalkeeper their keeper preventing a heavy defeat.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the first half from a expertly taken set-piece move, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the win in the 64th minute with a spectacular free kick after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• Turkey bounced back with a 6-1 victory over the Bulgarian side to stay close to Spain in their section. The Spanish club’s a young talent was one of the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least making the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or Israel. We know what we have to do.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, twice falling short in the playoffs, and the feared backdoor route now looks their primary opportunity after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in Group I. The Norwegians are top on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have twelve points with a match less played on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of Israel. The Estonian squad stay fourth on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the tournament, with the second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

Italy face Israel on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch the group leaders on points, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place probably awaits for the Italian squad.