🔗 Share this article

The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for the Portuguese side with a dramatic winner in their World Cup qualifying match against Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

Neves nodded in during added time to secure a narrow triumph, several seasons after Ronaldo had scored twice at the death to overcome a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to leave Lisbon with a well-earned point, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a gritty performance that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

However, the loss puts them facing elimination, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having yielded only a single draw. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a qualifying place.

Major Moments

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had hit Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of added time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Group Outcomes

Group F

Hungary enhanced their chances of qualifying by securing their initial victory with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, moving above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs gave his team the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the points in second-half stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now secure their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken shot in first-half stoppage time.

The Latvian side difficulties in their group persisted as they were forced to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera found the net for the away side late on from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Group E

Spain continued their dominant qualifying group run with a comfortable win over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win continued the title holders’ flawless record in qualifying, having scored eleven strikes in three matches without letting in a goal.

Despite the absence of players such as a talented winger, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that spent most of the match sitting back. Spain dominated the encounter with over eighty percent of the ball, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper their keeper preventing a rout.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece move, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the second period with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Additional Scores

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over the Bulgarian side to stay close to Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was one of the scorers.
• Italy improved their prospects of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or Israel. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two World Cups, on two occasions missing out in the playoffs, and the feared playoff path now looks their primary chance after Norway’s 5-0 win over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are top on eighteen points from six games. The Italians have twelve points with a match less played on their competitors and are three points ahead of their next opponents. The Estonian squad stay in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the playoffs.

Italy face their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch the group leaders on the table, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot probably beckons for the Italian squad.