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

Match Overview

Neves nodded in during injury time to claim a slender triumph, four years after Ronaldo had scored twice at the death to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a battling performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

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

Key Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a point when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had struck an Irish defender’s arm.
• Neves saved Portugal in the opening moments of added time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Other Group Results

Group F

Hungary boosted their chances of qualifying by picking up their first win with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, climbing above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided his team the advantage in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the points in second-half stoppage time.

Group K

Serbia suffered a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for Albania with a neat volley in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K continued as they were forced to a 2-2 draw at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera scored for the visitors late on from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team maintained their dominant Group E campaign with a 2-0 victory over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in Elche. The win continued the title holders’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having notched 11 goals in three games 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 demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game defending deep. The home side dominated the match with over eighty percent possession, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only goalkeeper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

Pino opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a well-executed set-piece move, and his compatriot secured the win in the 64th minute with a stunning set-piece after the Georgian keeper had saved a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Additional Results

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a 6-1 victory over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in their section. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was one of the goal-getters.
• Italy improved their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “We’re not thinking about Norway or our next opponents. We know our responsibilities.”

Italy failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, twice falling short in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now appears their most likely opportunity after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive hammering over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six games. Italy have twelve points with a game in hand on their competitors and are three points ahead of their next opponents. Estonia stay in fourth place on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the playoffs.

Italy face their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure second spot and, while they can still theoretically overtake Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal difference means a playoff spot likely beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.