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The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for Portugal with a dramatic winning goal in their World Cup qualifying clash against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Summary

Neves headed home during stoppage time to claim a 1-0 triumph, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to leave Lisbon with a well-earned point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of pride with a gritty performance that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them facing elimination, with their first three qualifying group games having yielded only a solitary point. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of securing a qualifying spot.

Major Incidents

• Kelleher seemed to have secured Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s effort had struck an Irish defender’s hand.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of stoppage time when he directed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Additional Group Outcomes

Group F

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

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now secure their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the only goal for Albania with a neat volley in late stoppage time.

Latvia struggles in Group K continued as they were held to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. 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.

Group E

The Spanish national team continued their impressive Group E campaign with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in Elche. The win continued the title holders’ flawless run in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game sitting back. Spain controlled 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 goalkeeper their keeper preventing a heavy defeat.

Pino broke the deadlock in the first half from a well-executed dead-ball routine, and his compatriot wrapped up the win in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s penalty.

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 their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was one of the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad boosted their hopes of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable win away to Estonia, thanks to goals from a forward, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach said: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or Israel. We know our responsibilities.”

Italy missed out for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions missing out in the playoffs, and the feared playoff path now looks their primary opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in Group I. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six matches. Italy have twelve points with a match less played on their competitors and are three points clear of their next opponents. Estonia remain in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the playoffs.

The Italian national team host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure second spot and, while they can still mathematically overtake Norway on points, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place likely awaits for the Italian squad.