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Rúben Neves saved the day for Portugal with a last-gasp winning goal in their World Cup qualifying match against Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Game Summary

The Wolves midfielder headed home during stoppage time to claim a narrow victory, several seasons after Ronaldo had scored twice at the death to defeat a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but in the end suffered defeat, despite regaining a good deal of honor with a gritty performance that erased some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

However, the defeat puts them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of qualifying group matches having produced only a solitary point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of securing a qualifying spot.

Major Moments

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have secured Ireland a point when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s effort had struck an Irish defender’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of added time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Group Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their chances of advancing by securing their initial victory with a two-goal triumph over Armenia, moving above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in Group F. Daniel Lukacs provided his team the advantage in the opening period and a teammate secured the victory in second-half stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow defeat at home to Albania, with the result meaning England can now secure their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted 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 2-2 draw at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera found the net for the visitors late on from time to claim them their first point of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their dominant qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in Elche. The win extended the title holders’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having notched eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

Despite the absence of players such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their dominance against a Georgian team that passed most of the match sitting back. The home side dominated the match with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper their keeper preventing a rout.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the first half from a well-executed set-piece move, and his compatriot secured the victory in the 64th minute with a spectacular free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Additional Results

• Turkey bounced back with a comprehensive thrashing over Bulgaria to stay close to the group leaders in their section. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was among the scorers.
• Italy boosted their hopes of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable victory away to Estonia, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, another attacker, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or our next opponents. We are aware of what we have to do.”

Italy missed out for the last two global tournaments, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now appears their primary opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive hammering over the Israeli side in Group I. Norway are leading on 18 points from six matches. Italy have twelve points with a game in hand on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of their next opponents. Estonia stay in fourth place on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the playoffs.

The Italian national team host Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place probably beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.