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The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for Portugal with a last-gasp winner in their World Cup qualifying clash against Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had saved a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

Neves found the net during injury time to secure a slender triumph, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace at the death to defeat a resilient Irish side.

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

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

Major Moments

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have earned Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s effort had hit an Irish defender’s arm.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the opening moments of added time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary enhanced their chances of qualifying by securing their first win with a 2-0 victory over the Armenian side, moving above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs gave his team the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the points in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

Serbia suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their qualification from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken volley in first-half added time.

Latvia struggles in Group K continued as they were forced to a 2-2 draw at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their first point of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Group E

The Spanish national team continued their impressive qualifying group run with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The result continued the European champions’ flawless record in qualifying, having notched 11 goals in three games without letting in a goal.

Despite the unavailability of players such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgia team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. Spain dominated the match with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the second period with a stunning free kick after Mamardashvili had denied a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Other Scores

• Turkey bounced back with a 6-1 victory over Bulgaria to stay close to the group leaders in their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was one of the scorers.
• Italy boosted their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach commented: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or Israel. We know what we have to do.”

The Azzurri missed out for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their most likely chance after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 win over Israel in their qualifying group. Norway are leading on 18 points from six matches. Italy have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points ahead of their next opponents. Estonia remain fourth on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically overtake the group leaders on points, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a playoff spot probably awaits for the Italian squad.