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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for Portugal with a last-gasp winning goal in their World Cup qualifying match against the Republic of Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a penalty from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

The Wolves midfielder found the net during stoppage time to secure a slender victory, several seasons after the star striker had scored twice late on to defeat a resilient Ireland team.

The Irish squad appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a gritty display that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat puts them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of qualifying group matches having produced only a solitary point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of claiming a playoff spot.

Key Moments

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had struck an Irish defender’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he headed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Other Qualifying Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary enhanced their chances of advancing by securing their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over the Armenian side, moving above their rivals into second place behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the advantage in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the victory in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

Serbia suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now secure their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the only goal for his team with a neat volley in first-half added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in Group K continued as they were forced to a 2-2 tie at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera found the net for the away side 12 minutes from time to earn them their first point of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

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

In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that spent the majority of the game sitting back. The home side dominated the encounter with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a heavy defeat.

Pino broke the deadlock in the first half from a expertly taken set-piece routine, and his compatriot wrapped up the victory in the second period with a stunning free kick after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was one of the scorers.
• The Italian squad boosted their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach commented: “We’re not thinking about Norway or Israel. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

Italy failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, twice falling short in the playoffs, and the feared backdoor route now looks their primary opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive win over Israel in Group I. Norway are top on 18 points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of their next opponents. The Estonian squad stay fourth on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host Israel on Tuesday, where a win would secure second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on the table, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.