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Rúben Neves saved the day for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp winning goal in their World Cup clash against the Republic of Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during injury time to claim a slender triumph, several seasons after the star striker had scored twice late on to overcome a stubborn Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite restoring a significant amount of honor with a battling performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

However, the defeat puts them facing elimination, with their first three Group F games having yielded only a solitary draw. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a qualifying place.

Key Incidents

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s effort had struck an Irish defender’s arm.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of stoppage time when he headed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary enhanced their hopes of advancing by securing their initial victory with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, moving above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the advantage in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the victory in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

Serbia suffered a 1-0 loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning England can now seal their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for Albania with a neat shot in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K continued as they were held to a 2-2 draw at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the away side 12 minutes from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their impressive Group E run with a 2-0 victory over Georgia after goals from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The result continued the European champions’ perfect record in the qualifiers, having notched eleven strikes in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of the absence of players such as a talented winger, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that spent most of the match defending deep. Spain dominated the encounter with more than 80% of the ball, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a well-executed dead-ball move, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the win in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Additional Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive thrashing over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was one of the goal-getters.
• Italy boosted their hopes of at least reaching the knockout stage with a 3-1 victory away to Estonia, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, another attacker, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or Israel. We are aware of what we have to do.”

Italy failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the feared playoff path now appears their most likely chance after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive hammering over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are leading on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their competitors and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. Estonia remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

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