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The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp winning goal in their World Cup qualifying clash against the Republic of Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had denied a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

Neves headed home during injury time to secure a 1-0 triumph, four years after Ronaldo had scored twice at the death to defeat a resilient Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought draw, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a gritty display that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having yielded only a solitary draw. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a playoff place.

Major Incidents

• Kelleher seemed to have earned Ireland a point when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of stoppage time when he headed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Group Results

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team boosted their chances of qualifying by securing their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, moving above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave his team the advantage in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the points in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow defeat at home to Albania, with the result meaning England can now seal their qualification from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken volley in first-half added time.

Latvia difficulties in their group persisted as they were forced to a 2-2 draw at home by Andorra. An Andorran player scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their first point of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Group E

Spain maintained their impressive Group E run with a comfortable win over the Georgian side after strikes from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The result extended the European champions’ perfect record in the qualifiers, having notched eleven strikes in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. Spain controlled the encounter with over eighty percent possession, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a heavy defeat.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the first half from a well-executed dead-ball routine, and his compatriot secured the win in the second period with a stunning free kick after Mamardashvili had denied a Spanish player’s penalty.

Additional Results

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a 6-1 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 goal-getters.
• Italy boosted their prospects of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, another attacker, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or our next opponents. We know our responsibilities.”

Italy failed to qualify for the previous two World Cups, on two occasions falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now appears their primary opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 hammering over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are leading on 18 points from six matches. The Italians have twelve points with a game in hand on their competitors and are a trio of points ahead of their next opponents. The Estonian squad stay in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, with the runners-up going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically overtake the group leaders on the table, the leaders’ far superior goal difference means a qualifying place probably awaits for the Italian squad.