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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a injury-time winner in their World Cup match against the Republic of Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had denied a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

Neves found the net during added time to snatch a slender win, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to overcome a stubborn Ireland team.

The Irish squad looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought 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.

However, the defeat puts them facing elimination, with their first three qualifying group matches having produced only a solitary point. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a playoff place.

Key Moments

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s effort had hit an Irish defender’s hand.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of added time when he headed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their hopes of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, moving above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the lead in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the victory in late added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome 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 well-taken volley in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side difficulties in their group persisted as they were forced to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team maintained their dominant qualifying group campaign with a comfortable win over Georgia after goals from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The result continued the European champions’ flawless run in the qualifiers, having notched eleven strikes in three matches without letting in a goal.

Despite the unavailability of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that spent most of the match sitting back. The home side dominated the encounter with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a rout.

Pino broke the deadlock in the first half from a expertly taken set-piece routine, and his compatriot wrapped up the win in the second period with a stunning free kick after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Other Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a comprehensive thrashing over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in Group E. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was among the goal-getters.
• Italy improved their hopes of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to Estonia, thanks to goals from a forward, another attacker, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach commented: “We’re not thinking about Norway or Israel. We know what we have to do.”

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 appears their primary opportunity after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are leading on eighteen points from six games. The Italians have twelve points with a match less played on their competitors and are a trio of points clear of Israel. Estonia stay in fourth place on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the tournament, with the second-placed sides going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch the group leaders on points, the Norwegians’ far superior goal ratio means a qualifying place likely awaits for the Italian squad.