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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a dramatic decisive strike in their World Cup clash against Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had denied a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Summary

Neves nodded in during injury time to secure a slender triumph, several seasons after Ronaldo had bagged a brace at the death to overcome a stubborn Ireland team.

The Irish squad appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of pride with a gritty performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss puts them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of Group F games having yielded only a single point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a qualifying spot.

Major Incidents

• Kelleher seemed to have earned Ireland a point when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s shot had hit an Irish defender’s hand.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Other Qualifying Results

Group F

Hungary enhanced their chances of advancing by securing their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, moving above their rivals into second place behind Portugal in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the advantage in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the points in late stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to Albania, with the result meaning England can now secure their passage from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the decisive strike for Albania with a neat volley in first-half stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K continued as they were held to a two-all tie at home by Andorra. An Andorran player scored for the away side late on from time to claim them their first point of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team maintained their impressive Group E run with a comfortable victory over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win extended the title holders’ flawless record in qualifying, having scored eleven strikes in three matches without conceding.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. Spain controlled the encounter with over eighty percent of the ball, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper their keeper preventing a rout.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal secured the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning set-piece after Mamardashvili had denied Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Additional Scores

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive thrashing over the Bulgarian side to stay close to Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to Estonia, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach said: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or Israel. We are aware of what we have to do.”

The Azzurri missed out for the last two World Cups, twice falling short in the playoffs, and the dreaded backdoor route now appears their most likely opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 win over Israel in their qualifying group. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six games. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their competitors and are three points ahead of their next opponents. Estonia remain in fourth place on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the World Cup, with the runners-up going into the playoffs.

Italy host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure second spot and, while they can still theoretically overtake Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a playoff spot probably beckons for the Italian squad.