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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for the Portuguese side with a dramatic winner in their World Cup clash against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Summary

Neves nodded in during added time to snatch a 1-0 triumph, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to defeat a resilient Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought draw, but in the end left empty-handed, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a gritty display that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

However, the defeat leaves them facing elimination, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having yielded only a single point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming a qualifying place.

Major Moments

• Kelleher looked to have secured Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s effort had struck an Irish defender’s arm.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the opening moments of added time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Group Results

Portugal’s Group

Hungary enhanced their chances of advancing by securing their initial victory with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the lead in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the points in second-half added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now secure their passage from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for Albania with a neat shot in first-half added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in Group K persisted as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by Andorra. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors late on from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Group E

The Spanish national team continued their dominant Group E campaign with a 2-0 win over Georgia after strikes from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in Elche. The result extended the European champions’ perfect record in qualifying, having scored eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

Despite the unavailability of players such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their dominance against a Georgia team that passed the majority of the game defending deep. Spain dominated the match with over eighty percent possession, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a heavy defeat.

The scorer opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and his compatriot secured the victory in the second period with a stunning set-piece after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a 6-1 thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was among the scorers.
• Italy improved their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a comfortable win away to Estonia, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or Israel. We know what we have to do.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now looks their primary opportunity after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in Group I. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six matches. Italy have twelve points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points ahead of their next opponents. The Estonian squad remain in fourth place on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the tournament, with the second-placed sides going into the qualifying stage.

Italy face Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on points, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a qualifying place likely beckons for the Italian squad.