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The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for Portugal with a injury-time winner in their World Cup encounter against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had denied a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

Neves nodded in during stoppage time to secure a narrow triumph, several seasons after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to leave Lisbon with a well-earned draw, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of honor with a battling display that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

However, the defeat puts them in a difficult position, with their first three Group F games having produced only a single point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of claiming a playoff place.

Key Moments

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s effort had struck an Irish defender’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of added time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Other Qualifying Results

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their chances of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal triumph over Armenia, moving above their rivals into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided his team the lead in the first half and a teammate secured the victory in late added time.

England’s Group

Serbia suffered a narrow loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now secure their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken volley in first-half added time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K continued as they were held to a two-all tie at home by Andorra. An Andorran player scored for the visitors late on from time to claim them their first point of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Spain’s Group

Spain continued their impressive qualifying group campaign with a comfortable victory over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The win extended the European champions’ perfect record in qualifying, having notched 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 fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgia team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. The home side dominated the encounter with more than 80% of the ball, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a rout.

Pino broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece routine, and his compatriot secured the win in the second period with a spectacular free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 victory over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was one of the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad boosted their prospects of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to Estonia, thanks to goals from a forward, another attacker, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach said: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or Israel. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

Italy failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, on two occasions falling short in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their most likely opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive hammering over Israel in their qualifying group. Norway are top on eighteen points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a game in hand on their competitors and are three points ahead 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 their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ far superior goal ratio means a playoff spot probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.