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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for the Portuguese side with a injury-time decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying match against Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Summary

Neves nodded in during injury time to claim a narrow victory, several seasons after Ronaldo had scored twice at the death to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a well-earned point, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite restoring a good deal of honor with a gritty display that erased some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss puts them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of Group F games having yielded only a solitary draw. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a playoff place.

Key Moments

• Kelleher looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of added time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Other Group Outcomes

Group F

Hungary enhanced their chances of advancing by securing their initial victory with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, moving above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs gave his team the lead in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber secured the victory in late stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now seal their passage from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the only goal for his team with a well-taken shot in late added time.

Latvia difficulties in their group continued as they were forced to a two-all tie 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.

Spain’s Group

Spain maintained their impressive Group E campaign with a comfortable win over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The result continued the European champions’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having scored eleven strikes in three matches without letting in a goal.

Despite the absence of key figures such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that passed most of the match sitting back. The home side controlled the match with over eighty percent of the ball, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or create a clear chance, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a heavy defeat.

Pino opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball move, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the second period with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Other Results

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a comprehensive thrashing over Bulgaria to stay close to the group leaders in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was one of the scorers.
• Italy improved their hopes of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach said: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or Israel. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, on two occasions missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now looks their primary opportunity after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive win over Israel in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six matches. The Italians have twelve points with a match less played on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of Israel. The Estonian squad remain fourth on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the playoffs.

Italy face Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake the group leaders on points, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place probably awaits for the Italian squad.