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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for the Portuguese side with a dramatic winning goal in their World Cup qualifying clash against Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had saved a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Summary

Neves found the net during stoppage time to secure a 1-0 victory, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to defeat a resilient Ireland team.

The Irish squad appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought draw, but in the end suffered defeat, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a gritty performance that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them facing elimination, with their initial trio of Group F games having yielded only a single draw. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of securing a qualifying place.

Key Incidents

• Kelleher looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s shot had hit Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Other Group Outcomes

Group F

Hungary boosted their hopes of advancing by securing their first win with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, moving above their rivals into second place behind the group leaders in the standings. Daniel Lukacs gave Hungary the lead in the opening period and a teammate secured the victory in second-half added time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now secure their qualification from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken shot in first-half added time.

Latvia struggles in Group K persisted as they were forced to a two-all tie at home by Andorra. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their dominant qualifying group run with a 2-0 victory over the Georgian side after strikes from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in Elche. The result continued the European champions’ perfect record in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three games without conceding.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as a talented winger, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that passed most of the match defending deep. The home side dominated the encounter with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

Pino broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a well-executed set-piece move, and his compatriot secured the victory in the second period with a stunning free kick after Mamardashvili had saved Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Other Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 thrashing over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in Group E. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

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

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two World Cups, on two occasions falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now looks their primary chance after Norway’s 5-0 hammering over the Israeli side in Group I. Norway are leading 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 their next opponents. Estonia remain fourth on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the tournament, with the runners-up entering the qualifying stage.

Italy host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a qualifying place probably awaits for the Italian squad.