The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for Portugal with a dramatic winning goal in their World Cup qualifying encounter against the Republic of Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a penalty from the veteran forward.
Neves headed home during stoppage time to secure a 1-0 win, four years after Ronaldo had scored twice at the death to defeat a resilient Irish side.
The Irish squad appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite restoring a significant amount of pride with a gritty display that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.
However, the loss leaves them staring down the barrel, with their first three qualifying group matches having produced only a solitary draw. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a qualifying spot.
The Hungarian team boosted their chances of qualifying by securing their first win with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided his team the lead in the first half and Zsombor Gruber secured the points in second-half stoppage time.
Serbia slipped to a narrow loss at home to Albania, 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 his team with a neat shot in first-half added time.
Latvia difficulties in their group continued as they were held to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s poor form to five games.
The Spanish national team continued their dominant Group E campaign with a comfortable victory over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in Elche. The result continued the European champions’ flawless run in qualifying, having scored eleven strikes in three games without conceding.
In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and Rodri due to injuries, the Spanish squad demonstrated their superiority against a Georgia team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. The home side controlled the encounter with more than 80% of the ball, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper their keeper averting a rout.
The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a well-executed set-piece move, and Oyarzabal secured the victory in the 64th minute with a spectacular set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved Ferran Torres’s penalty.
Gennaro Gattuso commented: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or Israel. We know what we have to do.”
The Azzurri failed to qualify for the previous two World Cups, twice missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now looks their primary chance after Norway’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. Norway are top on 18 points from six matches. The Italians have 12 points with a match less played on their rivals and are a trio of points ahead of their next opponents. Estonia stay in fourth place on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the qualifying stage.
The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a win would secure second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch the group leaders on the table, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a playoff spot probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.
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