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Rúben Neves came to the rescue for Portugal with a dramatic winning goal in their World Cup qualifying match against Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had saved a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Summary

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during injury time to secure a narrow victory, four years after Ronaldo 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 good deal of honor with a gritty performance that erased some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat leaves them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having produced only a solitary draw. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a playoff place.

Major Moments

• Kelleher looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of added time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Other Qualifying Results

Group F

Hungary enhanced their hopes of advancing by securing their first win with a 2-0 triumph over the Armenian side, climbing above their rivals into the runner-up spot 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

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 loss at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the only goal for his team with a well-taken volley in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K continued as they were held to a two-all tie at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera scored for the visitors late on from time to claim them their first point of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Group E

The Spanish national team continued their dominant qualifying group run with a comfortable win over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The result continued the European champions’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three matches without conceding.

Despite the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that passed most of the match sitting back. The home side dominated the encounter with more than 80% possession, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper their keeper preventing a rout.

Pino broke the deadlock in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball move, and his compatriot secured the win in the 64th minute with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had denied a Spanish player’s penalty.

Other Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in their section. The Spanish club’s a young talent was one of the scorers.
• The Italian squad boosted their hopes of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable win away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or Israel. We are aware of what we have to do.”

The Azzurri missed out for the last two global tournaments, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now looks their most likely chance after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive hammering over the Israeli side in Group I. Norway are leading on 18 points from six games. The Italians have twelve points with a game in hand on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of Israel. The Estonian squad stay in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the playoffs.

The Italian national team host Israel on Tuesday, where a win would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch the group leaders on the table, the leaders’ far superior goal difference means a playoff spot probably beckons for the Italian squad.