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Rúben Neves saved the day for the Portuguese side with a injury-time winner in their World Cup qualifying clash against Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Summary

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during added time to secure a narrow triumph, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace at the death to defeat a stubborn Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought point, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of honor with a battling performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat puts them in a difficult position, with their first three qualifying group matches having produced only a solitary draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a playoff spot.

Key Moments

• Kelleher seemed to have secured Ireland a draw when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had struck an Irish defender’s hand.
• Neves saved Portugal in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of advancing by securing their first win with a two-goal victory over Armenia, moving above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the advantage in the first half and a teammate made sure of the victory in late stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a narrow loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning England can now secure their passage from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken volley in first-half added time.

Latvia difficulties in their group continued as they were forced to a two-all draw at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera scored for the away side late on from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their impressive 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 continued the title holders’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having scored eleven strikes in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as a talented winger, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad demonstrated their dominance 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 generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a rout.

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

Other Scores

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive thrashing over Bulgaria to stay close to Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was one of the scorers.
• Italy improved their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, another attacker, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach commented: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or our next opponents. We are aware of what we have to do.”

The Azzurri 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 the Norwegian team’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in Group I. Norway are top on 18 points from six games. The Italians have twelve points with a match less played on their competitors and are three points ahead of their next opponents. Estonia remain fourth on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the tournament, with the runners-up going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team face their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically overtake the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a playoff spot probably beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.