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Rúben Neves came to the rescue for Portugal with a dramatic winning goal in their World Cup qualifying encounter against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Overview

The Wolves midfielder headed home during injury time to secure a narrow triumph, four years after Ronaldo had scored twice at the death to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of honor with a gritty performance that erased some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

However, the loss leaves them facing elimination, with their initial trio of qualifying group matches having produced only a solitary point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a qualifying place.

Major Incidents

• Kelleher seemed to have secured Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s effort had struck an Irish defender’s arm.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

Hungary boosted their chances of advancing by picking up their first win with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, climbing above their rivals into second place behind Portugal in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the lead in the first half and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the points in late added time.

England’s Group

Serbia slipped to a 1-0 loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now secure their qualification from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the decisive strike for Albania with a neat volley in first-half added time.

Latvia difficulties in Group K persisted as they were forced to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera scored for the away side late on from time to earn them their first point of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their dominant Group E campaign with a 2-0 win over Georgia after goals from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The result continued the title holders’ flawless run in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that passed the majority of the game defending deep. The home side controlled the encounter with more than 80% of the ball, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece move, and his compatriot wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a spectacular set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over Bulgaria to stay close to Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was one of the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a comfortable win away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from a forward, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach commented: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or Israel. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri missed out for the last two World Cups, on two occasions falling short in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their most likely chance after Norway’s comprehensive win over Israel in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are leading on eighteen points from six games. Italy have twelve points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points clear of Israel. Estonia remain in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, with the runners-up going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically catch the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.