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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a injury-time winner in their World Cup qualifying clash against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a penalty from the veteran forward.

Match Overview

Neves nodded in during stoppage time to claim a 1-0 triumph, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to overcome a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought point, but in the end suffered defeat, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a battling performance that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

However, the defeat leaves them staring down the barrel, with their first three Group F games having yielded only a solitary point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a playoff place.

Key Moments

• Kelleher seemed to have secured Ireland a point when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’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 headed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Group Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their chances of qualifying by securing their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, climbing above their rivals into second place behind Portugal in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber secured the points in late stoppage time.

Group K

Serbia suffered a 1-0 loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now secure their passage from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the decisive strike for his team with a neat volley in first-half added time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K continued as they were forced to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team maintained their impressive qualifying group run with a 2-0 win over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win extended the European champions’ perfect record in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three games without letting in a goal.

Despite the absence of players such as a talented winger, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that spent most of the match sitting back. The home side controlled the match with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or generate a clear chance, with only goalkeeper their keeper preventing a rout.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken set-piece move, and his compatriot wrapped up the win in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Other Scores

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a 6-1 victory over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “We’re not thinking about Norway or our next opponents. We know what we have to do.”

Italy missed out for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now appears their primary opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in Group I. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six matches. Italy have 12 points with a match less played on their competitors and are a trio of points ahead of their next opponents. Estonia stay fourth on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

Italy face their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure second spot and, while they can still theoretically overtake the group leaders on points, the Norwegians’ far superior goal ratio means a playoff spot probably beckons for the Italian squad.