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The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp winner in their World Cup qualifying encounter against Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Summary

Neves headed home during injury time to claim a narrow win, four years after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

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

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of Group F games having yielded only a single draw. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a qualifying spot.

Key Moments

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the opening moments of added time when he headed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Group Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary enhanced their chances of qualifying by securing their initial victory with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, moving above their rivals into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs provided Hungary the lead in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the points in late added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 loss at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the only goal for Albania with a well-taken volley in first-half stoppage time.

Latvia struggles in their group persisted as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the away side late on from time to claim them their first point of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their impressive qualifying group run with a comfortable win over the Georgian side after strikes from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The win continued the European champions’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having notched eleven strikes in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game sitting back. Spain controlled the encounter with over eighty percent possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a rout.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball move, and his compatriot secured the win in the second period with a stunning set-piece after the Georgian keeper had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Other Scores

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in their section. The Spanish club’s a young talent was among the scorers.
• Italy improved their prospects of at least reaching the knockout stage with a 3-1 victory away to Estonia, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach commented: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or Israel. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the previous two World Cups, on two occasions falling short in the playoffs, and the feared backdoor route now looks their primary chance after Norway’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. Norway are leading on 18 points from six matches. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points clear of Israel. The Estonian squad stay in fourth place on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the tournament, with the second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

Italy face their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch the group leaders on points, the Norwegians’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.