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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for Portugal with a last-gasp winner in their World Cup encounter against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had denied a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

Neves found the net during injury time to claim a narrow win, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace at the death to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought draw, but in the end suffered defeat, despite regaining a good deal of honor with a gritty display that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

However, the defeat puts them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of Group F games having produced only a solitary draw. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of claiming a qualifying spot.

Key Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have earned Ireland a draw when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s shot had hit Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Other Group Results

Group F

Hungary enhanced their chances of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, moving above their rivals into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs gave Hungary the advantage in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the victory in late added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a narrow loss at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning England can now secure their qualification from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the decisive strike for Albania with a neat volley in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in their group persisted as they were forced to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera found the net for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Group E

Spain maintained their impressive qualifying group campaign with a comfortable win over Georgia after strikes 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.

In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgia team that passed most of the match defending deep. The home side dominated the match with more than 80% of the ball, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a rout.

Pino broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a well-executed dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal secured the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Other Scores

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a 6-1 victory over the Bulgarian side to stay close to the group leaders in their section. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was one of the scorers.
• The Italian squad boosted their prospects of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable victory away to Estonia, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach said: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or our next opponents. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two World Cups, on two occasions falling short in the playoffs, and the feared playoff path now looks their most likely opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive win over Israel in Group I. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have twelve points with a game in hand on their competitors and are three points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad remain fourth on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team face their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically overtake Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place likely beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.