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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for Portugal with a injury-time winning goal in their World Cup encounter against Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

Neves headed home during added time to snatch a slender win, four years after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to defeat a stubborn Ireland team.

The Irish squad looked set to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite regaining a good deal of honor with a battling display that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat leaves them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having produced only a single draw. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a qualifying spot.

Major Moments

• Kelleher looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had hit an Irish defender’s hand.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he headed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Qualifying Results

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their chances of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal victory over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided his team the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber secured the victory in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

Serbia suffered a narrow defeat at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the only goal for Albania with a well-taken shot in late stoppage time.

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

Group E

Spain maintained their dominant Group E run with a comfortable win over Georgia after goals from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in Elche. The result continued the European champions’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having notched 11 goals in three games without conceding.

Despite the absence of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgia team that passed most of the match defending deep. The home side dominated the encounter with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or create a clear chance, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a rout.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a well-executed dead-ball move, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Additional Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 thrashing over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on the group leaders in their section. The Spanish club’s a young talent was one of the scorers.
• Italy improved their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to Estonia, thanks to goals from a forward, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

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

Italy failed to qualify for the previous two global tournaments, twice falling short in the playoffs, and the feared playoff path now looks their primary opportunity after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive win over Israel in Group I. Norway are top on eighteen points from six matches. Italy have twelve points with a game in hand on their competitors and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. Estonia remain fourth on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

Italy face Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would secure second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on points, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place likely awaits for the Italian squad.