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The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp decisive strike in their World Cup encounter against the Republic of Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Summary

Neves nodded in during added time to claim a 1-0 victory, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace at the death to overcome a stubborn Ireland team.

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

Nevertheless, the defeat leaves them staring down the barrel, with their first three Group F matches having produced only a solitary draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of claiming a qualifying spot.

Major Incidents

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a point when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s effort had hit an Irish defender’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of added time when he headed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their chances of advancing by securing their first win with a two-goal victory over Armenia, climbing above their rivals into second place behind the group leaders in the standings. Daniel Lukacs gave Hungary the advantage in the first half and a teammate secured the victory in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 loss at home to Albania, with the result meaning England can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the decisive strike for his team with a neat volley in first-half added time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K persisted as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera scored for the visitors late on from time to earn them their first point of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Group E

Spain continued their impressive qualifying group campaign with a comfortable victory over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The result extended the title holders’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having scored eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

Despite the absence of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, 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 sitting back. Spain controlled the match with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper their keeper preventing a rout.

The scorer opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a well-executed set-piece move, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the 64th minute with a stunning set-piece after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Additional Scores

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a 6-1 thrashing over Bulgaria to stay close to Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was among the goal-getters.
• Italy boosted their prospects of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, 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.”

Italy missed out for the last two World Cups, on two occasions missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now looks their primary opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive hammering over the Israeli side in Group I. Norway are top on 18 points from six matches. Italy have 12 points with a match less played on their rivals and are three points clear of their next opponents. The Estonian squad remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically overtake Norway on the table, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot probably beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.