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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for Portugal with a dramatic winner in their World Cup encounter against Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had saved a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Summary

Neves found the net during stoppage time to secure a 1-0 win, several seasons after the star striker had scored twice at the death to defeat a stubborn Ireland team.

The Irish squad looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but in the end left empty-handed, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a battling performance that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

However, the defeat puts them facing elimination, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having yielded only a solitary point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of claiming a playoff spot.

Key Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a point when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had struck an Irish defender’s hand.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of stoppage time when he headed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Other Group Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team enhanced their chances of qualifying by securing their initial victory with a two-goal triumph over Armenia, climbing above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the lead in the opening period and a teammate secured the points in late stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow loss at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now secure their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the only goal for his team with a neat shot in first-half added time.

The Latvian side struggles in their group continued as they were held to a 2-2 draw 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 qualifiers and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

Spain continued their impressive qualifying group campaign with a comfortable win over Georgia after goals from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The win extended the title holders’ flawless run in the qualifiers, having notched eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

Despite the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game defending deep. The home side controlled the encounter with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or create a clear chance, with only goalkeeper their keeper preventing a heavy defeat.

Pino broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece move, and his compatriot secured the win in the second period with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied a Spanish player’s penalty.

Other Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on the group leaders in their section. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was among the scorers.
• Italy improved their hopes of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “We’re not thinking about Norway or our next opponents. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the previous two global tournaments, twice falling short in the playoffs, and the dreaded backdoor route now appears their most likely chance after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. Norway are leading on 18 points from six games. The Italians have twelve points with a match less played on their competitors and are a trio of points clear of Israel. Estonia stay in fourth place on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on points, the Norwegians’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.