The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for the Portuguese side with a injury-time winner in their World Cup qualifying match against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had saved a penalty from the veteran forward.
Neves headed home during stoppage time to secure a 1-0 victory, four years after the star striker had scored twice at the death to defeat a resilient Ireland team.
The Irish squad looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned point, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite restoring a significant amount of honor with a gritty performance that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.
However, the loss leaves them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of Group F matches having produced only a single point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a qualifying spot.
The Hungarian team boosted their chances of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal victory over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs gave his team the advantage in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber secured the victory in late added time.
Serbia suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning England can now secure their qualification from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the only goal for his team with a neat shot in first-half stoppage time.
Latvia difficulties in Group K continued as they were held to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera found the net for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their first point of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to several matches.
The Spanish national team continued their impressive qualifying group run with a 2-0 victory over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The result continued the European champions’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three games without conceding.
Despite the unavailability of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgia team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. The home side controlled 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 shot-stopper their keeper preventing a rout.
Pino broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece routine, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had denied a Spanish player’s spot-kick.
Gennaro Gattuso commented: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or our next opponents. We know what we have to do.”
Italy missed out for the last two World Cups, on two occasions missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded playoff path now appears their most likely chance after Norway’s 5-0 hammering over Israel in Group I. Norway are top on eighteen points from six games. The Italians have 12 points with a match less played on their rivals and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. Estonia stay in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.
The Italian national team face their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on points, the leaders’ far superior goal ratio means a playoff spot likely beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.
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