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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for Portugal with a last-gasp winner in their World Cup encounter against Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Summary

Neves found the net during injury time to snatch a slender victory, several seasons after Ronaldo had scored twice at the death to overcome a resilient Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned point, but in the end suffered defeat, despite restoring a significant amount of honor with a battling display that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

However, the loss puts them facing elimination, with their first three Group F matches having yielded only a single draw. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of claiming a playoff spot.

Major Moments

• Kelleher looked to have secured Ireland a point when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of stoppage time when he headed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Qualifying Results

Group F

Hungary boosted their chances of advancing by securing their first win with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, climbing above their rivals into second place behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided his team the lead in the first half and a teammate made sure of the victory in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now secure their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken shot in first-half added time.

Latvia difficulties in their group persisted as they were forced to a 2-2 draw at home by Andorra. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors late on from time to claim them their first point of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Group E

The Spanish national team continued their impressive Group E campaign with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The win continued the European champions’ flawless record in qualifying, having notched 11 goals in three matches without letting in a goal.

Despite the unavailability of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that spent most of the match defending deep. The home side controlled the encounter with over eighty percent of the ball, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a rout.

Pino broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and his compatriot secured the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after Mamardashvili had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Additional Results

• Turkey bounced back with a 6-1 victory over the Bulgarian side to stay close to the group leaders in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was one of the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach said: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or Israel. We are aware of what we have to do.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the previous two World Cups, twice falling short in the playoffs, and the feared backdoor route now appears their primary opportunity after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive win over Israel in their qualifying group. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six games. Italy have twelve points with a match less played on their rivals and are a trio of points ahead of their next opponents. The Estonian squad remain fourth on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the runners-up entering the playoffs.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake the group leaders on points, the leaders’ far superior goal difference means a playoff spot probably beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.