🔗 Share this article

The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for Portugal with a dramatic winning goal in their World Cup clash against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Summary

Neves headed home during added time to snatch a slender triumph, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to defeat a resilient Ireland team.

The Irish squad appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought draw, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a battling display that erased some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

However, the defeat leaves them facing elimination, with their initial trio of Group F matches having yielded only a solitary draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of securing a qualifying place.

Key Moments

• Kelleher seemed to have secured Ireland a point when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s shot had hit Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Other Group Results

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over the Armenian side, climbing above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber secured the victory in second-half stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 loss at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning England can now secure their qualification from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken volley in first-half added time.

The Latvian side struggles in their group continued as they were forced to a 2-2 tie at home by Andorra. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors late on from time to claim them their first point of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their impressive qualifying group campaign with a comfortable victory over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The win extended the European champions’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having notched eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

Despite the absence of players such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that passed most of the match defending deep. The home side controlled the match with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a rout.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball move, and his compatriot wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 victory over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was one of the scorers.
• Italy improved their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach commented: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or our next opponents. We know our responsibilities.”

Italy missed out for the last two global tournaments, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now looks their primary opportunity after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are top on eighteen points from six matches. Italy have 12 points with a game in hand on their competitors and are three points clear of their next opponents. Estonia remain fourth on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the playoffs.

The Italian national team host Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would secure second spot and, while they can still theoretically overtake Norway on the table, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.