🔗 Share this article

The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a dramatic decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying encounter against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

Neves headed home during stoppage time to claim a 1-0 victory, several seasons after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to overcome a resilient Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought point, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a battling performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat leaves them facing elimination, with their first three Group F games having yielded only a single draw. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of securing a qualifying place.

Key Incidents

• Kelleher seemed to have secured Ireland a draw when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick 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 added time when he directed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Group Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their hopes of qualifying by picking up their first win with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, climbing above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided his team the lead in the opening period and a teammate secured the victory in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

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

The Latvian side struggles in their group continued as they were held to a 2-2 tie 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 prolong Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Spain’s Group

Spain continued their dominant qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 victory over Georgia after goals from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The result extended the title holders’ flawless record in qualifying, having scored eleven strikes in three games without letting in a goal.

Despite the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgia team that spent most of the match defending deep. Spain controlled the match with over eighty percent of the ball, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or create a clear chance, with only shot-stopper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

Pino broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and his compatriot wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Additional Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive thrashing over the Bulgarian side to stay close to the group leaders in their section. The Spanish club’s a young talent was one of the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad boosted their prospects of at least making the knockout stage with a comfortable win away to Estonia, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, another attacker, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “We’re not thinking about Norway or Israel. We are aware of what we have to do.”

Italy missed out for the last two World Cups, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now appears their most likely opportunity after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in Group I. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six matches. The Italians have twelve points with a match less played on their competitors and are a trio of points clear of their next opponents. Estonia stay 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 their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.