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

Game Overview

Neves nodded in during added time to secure a slender victory, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to overcome a resilient Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to leave Lisbon with a well-earned draw, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a battling display that erased some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat puts them facing elimination, with their initial trio of qualifying group matches having yielded only a single draw. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a playoff spot.

Key Moments

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had hit an Irish defender’s hand.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of stoppage time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Group Results

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of qualifying by securing their first win with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, moving above their rivals into second place behind Portugal in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave his team the lead in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber secured the victory in late stoppage time.

Group K

Serbia suffered a narrow defeat at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their qualification from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for Albania with a neat shot in late stoppage time.

Latvia struggles in Group K continued as they were forced to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the away side late on from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Group E

The Spanish national team continued their dominant qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 victory over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The result extended the European champions’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three games without conceding.

Despite the absence of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad demonstrated their superiority against a Georgia team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. The home side dominated the match with over eighty percent of the ball, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or create a clear chance, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a rout.

Pino opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a well-executed set-piece routine, and Oyarzabal secured the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning set-piece after Mamardashvili had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Additional Scores

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive victory over Bulgaria to stay close to the group leaders in their section. The Spanish club’s a young talent was among the scorers.
• Italy boosted their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach said: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or Israel. We know what we have to do.”

Italy missed out for the last two global tournaments, twice missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now appears their primary chance after Norway’s 5-0 win over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are top on eighteen points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a match less played on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of their next opponents. The Estonian squad stay fourth on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

Italy face their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would secure second spot and, while they can still theoretically overtake Norway on points, the Norwegians’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place probably beckons for the Italian squad.