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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp decisive strike in their World Cup match against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had saved a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

Neves headed home during injury time to secure a 1-0 win, several seasons after the star striker had scored twice at the death to overcome a stubborn Ireland team.

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

However, the loss puts them facing elimination, with their first three Group F games having produced only a single draw. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of securing a qualifying spot.

Key Incidents

• Kelleher seemed to have secured Ireland a point when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s effort had hit an Irish defender’s hand.
• Neves saved Portugal in the opening moments of added time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

Hungary boosted their hopes of advancing by picking up their first win with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, climbing above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in Group F. Daniel Lukacs provided Hungary the lead in the first half and Zsombor Gruber secured the points in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

Serbia suffered a narrow defeat at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning England can now secure their qualification from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for Albania with a neat volley in first-half added time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K persisted as they were forced to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the away side 12 minutes from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Spain’s Group

Spain maintained their dominant qualifying group campaign with a comfortable win over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in Elche. The win extended the European champions’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having notched eleven strikes in three matches without conceding.

Despite the absence of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgia team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. The home side controlled the encounter with more than 80% of the ball, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper their keeper averting a rout.

The scorer opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a well-executed dead-ball move, and his compatriot wrapped up the victory in the second period with a spectacular free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Other Scores

• Turkey bounced back with a 6-1 thrashing over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was among the goal-getters.
• Italy improved their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to Estonia, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or our next opponents. We know what we have to do.”

Italy failed to qualify for the previous two World Cups, on two occasions missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now looks their primary chance after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six games. The Italians have 12 points with a match less played on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of Israel. Estonia remain fourth on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, with the runners-up going into the playoffs.

Italy face their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would secure second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on the table, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.