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The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for the Portuguese side with a injury-time decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying encounter against Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a penalty from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

Neves headed home during injury time to claim a narrow victory, four years after Ronaldo had scored twice late on to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite restoring a significant amount of pride with a gritty performance that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having yielded only a single point. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a qualifying place.

Major Moments

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have secured Ireland a point when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the opening moments of added time when he headed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Group Results

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team boosted their chances of advancing by securing their first win with a 2-0 victory over the Armenian side, climbing above their rivals into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs provided his team the lead in the first half and a teammate secured the points in late added time.

Group K

Serbia slipped to a 1-0 defeat at home to Albania, with the result meaning England can now secure their passage from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the only goal for Albania with a well-taken shot in first-half stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in their group continued as they were forced to a 2-2 draw at home by Andorra. An Andorran player found the net for the away side 12 minutes from time to claim them their first point of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their impressive qualifying group campaign with a comfortable victory over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The result extended the European champions’ flawless record in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three matches without conceding.

In spite of the absence of players such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that spent most of the match defending deep. Spain controlled the encounter with over eighty percent of the ball, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or create a clear chance, with only goalkeeper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

Pino broke the deadlock in the first half from a well-executed set-piece move, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Additional Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 victory over the Bulgarian side to stay close to Spain in Group E. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was one of 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 a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach commented: “We’re not thinking about Norway or Israel. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the previous two World Cups, on two occasions missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now appears their primary chance after Norway’s comprehensive win over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are leading on 18 points from six matches. Italy have twelve points with a game in hand on their competitors and are a trio of points ahead of their next opponents. Estonia remain fourth on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the tournament, with the runners-up going into the playoffs.

The Italian national team face their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch the group leaders on points, the Norwegians’ far superior goal ratio means a qualifying place probably beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.