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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 saved a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Summary

Neves nodded in during stoppage time to snatch a 1-0 triumph, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to defeat a stubborn Ireland team.

The Irish squad looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a gritty performance that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them staring down the barrel, with their first three Group F games having yielded only a single point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a qualifying place.

Major Moments

• Kelleher looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’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 a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Group Results

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team boosted their chances of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal triumph over Armenia, moving above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the lead in the first half and a teammate made sure of the victory in late added time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored 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 draw at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera scored for the away side late on from time to earn them their first point of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Group E

Spain continued their impressive Group E campaign with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The result extended the title holders’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the absence of players such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that spent most of the match defending deep. Spain dominated the encounter with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a heavy defeat.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a well-executed dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the second period with a spectacular free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied a Spanish player’s penalty.

Additional Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a 6-1 victory over the Bulgarian side to stay close to Spain in Group E. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• Italy improved their hopes of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or our next opponents. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two global tournaments, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the feared playoff path now looks their primary opportunity after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive hammering over Israel in Group I. Norway are top on 18 points from six matches. Italy have 12 points with a game in hand on their competitors and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. Estonia stay in fourth place on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the tournament, with the runners-up going into the playoffs.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a win would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically catch the group leaders on the table, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place probably awaits for the Italian squad.