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Rúben Neves was the hero for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp winning goal in their World Cup qualifying encounter against Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had saved a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

Neves found the net during injury time to snatch a 1-0 victory, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to defeat a resilient Irish side.

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

Nevertheless, the loss puts them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of qualifying group matches having yielded only a single draw. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming a qualifying spot.

Major Moments

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a point when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had hit Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the first minute of added time when he headed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Results

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of qualifying by securing their first win with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, moving above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the advantage in the first half and a teammate secured the points in late added time.

England’s Group

Serbia slipped to a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their qualification from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken shot in late added time.

Latvia difficulties in Group K continued as they were forced to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player found the net for the away side 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their impressive Group E campaign with a comfortable win over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The win extended the European champions’ perfect record in qualifying, having scored eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

In spite of the absence of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad demonstrated their dominance against a Georgian team that spent most of the match defending deep. Spain controlled the match with over eighty percent possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper their keeper preventing a rout.

Pino broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece move, and his compatriot wrapped up the victory in the second period with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Additional Scores

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a 6-1 victory over the Bulgarian side to stay close to the group leaders in their section. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was one of the goal-getters.
• Italy boosted their prospects of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable win away to Estonia, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach said: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or our next opponents. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two World Cups, twice falling short in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their primary chance after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 hammering over the Israeli side in Group I. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points clear of their next opponents. The Estonian squad stay fourth on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would secure second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on points, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a playoff spot probably awaits for the Italian squad.