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Rúben Neves was the hero for the Portuguese side with a injury-time winner in their World Cup encounter against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Game Summary

Neves found the net during stoppage time to secure a slender triumph, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to defeat a stubborn Ireland team.

The Irish squad looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a battling performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

However, the defeat leaves them facing elimination, with their first three qualifying group games having produced only a solitary point. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of claiming a qualifying spot.

Key Moments

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a point when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s shot had struck an Irish defender’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Group Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their chances of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the lead in the first half and a teammate secured the victory in second-half added time.

England’s Group

Serbia suffered a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning England can now secure their qualification from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken shot in late added time.

The Latvian side struggles in their group persisted as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by Andorra. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Group E

The Spanish national team continued their dominant Group E run with a comfortable victory over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The result extended the title holders’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three matches without conceding.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that passed most of the match defending deep. Spain dominated the match with over eighty percent of the ball, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a rout.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a well-executed set-piece move, and his compatriot wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning set-piece after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Additional Scores

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a 6-1 thrashing over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on the group leaders in their section. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach commented: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or our next opponents. We know what we have to do.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now appears their primary opportunity after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive hammering over the Israeli side in Group I. Norway are top on 18 points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a game in hand on their competitors and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad remain fourth on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the qualifying stage.

Italy host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically overtake Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a playoff spot probably beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.