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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 encounter against Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Summary

Neves found the net during injury time to secure a 1-0 victory, several seasons after the star striker had scored twice at the death to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of pride with a battling display that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat puts them in a difficult position, with their first three qualifying group games having produced only a solitary point. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of claiming a qualifying place.

Key Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a point when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s shot had struck an Irish defender’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of added time when he headed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Group Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of advancing by securing their first win with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs provided Hungary the lead in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the points in second-half added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow loss at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their qualification from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the only goal for his team with a well-taken shot in late added time.

Latvia difficulties in Group K continued as they were forced to a 2-2 draw at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera found the net for the visitors late on from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Group E

Spain maintained their dominant qualifying group run with a 2-0 win over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The result continued the title holders’ flawless record in qualifying, having notched 11 goals in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as a talented winger, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that spent most of the match sitting back. The home side controlled the encounter with more than 80% of the ball, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or create a clear chance, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the first half from a expertly taken set-piece move, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a comprehensive thrashing over the Bulgarian side to stay close to Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was one of the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least reaching the knockout stage with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or our next opponents. We are aware of what we have to do.”

The Azzurri missed out for the last two World Cups, on two occasions missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now looks their most likely opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive hammering over the Israeli side in Group I. Norway are leading on 18 points from six games. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their competitors and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. Estonia remain in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the qualifying stage.

Italy face their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still theoretically overtake the group leaders on points, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a playoff spot likely beckons for the Italian squad.