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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for Portugal with a dramatic decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying match against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a penalty from the veteran forward.

Match Overview

Neves nodded in during added time to secure a 1-0 victory, four years after Ronaldo had scored twice at the death to overcome a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought point, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a battling performance that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

However, the loss leaves them staring down the barrel, with their first three qualifying group games having produced only a solitary point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of securing a playoff spot.

Key Incidents

• Kelleher seemed to have earned Ireland a point when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s shot had hit an Irish defender’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of stoppage time when he headed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team enhanced their hopes of qualifying by securing their initial victory with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, climbing above their rivals into second place behind Portugal in the standings. Daniel Lukacs provided his team the advantage in the opening period and a teammate secured the victory in second-half added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow defeat at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the only goal for Albania with a neat volley in first-half stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in their group persisted as they were held to a two-all draw at home by Andorra. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors late on from time to claim them their first point of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their impressive Group E run with a comfortable win over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win extended the title holders’ perfect run in qualifying, having scored 11 goals in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their dominance against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game sitting back. The home side controlled the encounter with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a rout.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a well-executed set-piece move, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the win in the 64th minute with a spectacular free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Additional Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 thrashing over Bulgaria to stay close to Spain in their section. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad boosted their prospects of at least making the knockout stage with a comfortable win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach commented: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or Israel. We know what we have to do.”

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two World Cups, on two occasions missing out in the playoffs, and the feared playoff path now appears their primary chance after Norway’s comprehensive win over Israel in Group I. Norway are top on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their competitors and are three points clear of their next opponents. Estonia stay fourth on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on the table, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a playoff spot probably beckons for the Italian squad.