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The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for the Portuguese side with a injury-time decisive strike in their World Cup encounter against Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

Neves nodded in during injury time to claim a 1-0 victory, four years after the star striker had bagged a brace at the death to overcome a resilient 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 significant amount of pride with a battling performance that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

However, the loss puts them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of qualifying group matches having yielded only a single draw. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of claiming a playoff place.

Major Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have earned Ireland a point when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s shot had hit an Irish defender’s arm.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he headed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Group Results

Group F

Hungary boosted their chances of qualifying by securing their first win with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, climbing above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave his team the lead in the first half and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the points in second-half added time.

Group K

Serbia suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now seal their qualification from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the only goal for Albania with a well-taken shot in first-half added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in Group K 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 initial draw of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their dominant qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 win over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The result extended the European champions’ flawless run in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that passed the majority of the game defending deep. The home side controlled the match with more than 80% of the ball, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper their keeper averting a rout.

Pino broke the deadlock in the first half from a well-executed dead-ball move, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the second period with a spectacular free kick after Mamardashvili had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a comprehensive thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad boosted their hopes of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, another attacker, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach commented: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or Israel. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two global tournaments, on two occasions falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now appears their most likely opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 hammering over Israel in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are leading on eighteen points from six games. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of their next opponents. The Estonian squad 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 cement the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on points, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a playoff spot likely awaits for the Italian squad.