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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for Portugal with a injury-time winner in their World Cup match against Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had denied a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

Neves nodded in during stoppage time to secure a 1-0 win, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace at the death to overcome a resilient Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of honor with a gritty display that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

However, the defeat puts them staring down the barrel, with their first three Group F games having yielded only a solitary draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of claiming a playoff spot.

Key Moments

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have secured Ireland a point when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s effort had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of added time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Group Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their chances of advancing by securing their first win with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, climbing above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in the standings. Daniel Lukacs gave his team the lead in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the victory in second-half stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the decisive strike for Albania with a neat shot in first-half stoppage time.

The Latvian side difficulties in their group continued as they were forced to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera scored for the away side late on from time to earn them their first point of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Group E

The Spanish national team continued their dominant qualifying group run with a 2-0 victory over the Georgian side after strikes from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The result extended the title holders’ flawless record in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three games without letting in a goal.

Despite the absence of players such as a talented winger, another forward, and Rodri due to injuries, the Spanish squad demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that spent most of the match sitting back. The home side controlled the match with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or create a clear chance, with only goalkeeper their keeper preventing a heavy defeat.

Pino opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece routine, and his compatriot wrapped up the win in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Other Results

• Turkey bounced back with a comprehensive 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 reaching the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or Israel. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

Italy failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, twice falling short in the playoffs, and the feared playoff path now appears their primary opportunity after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive win over Israel in Group I. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six matches. 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 remain fourth on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the qualifying stage.

Italy face Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically catch the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.