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Rúben Neves saved the day for the Portuguese side with a injury-time winner in their World Cup match against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Summary

The Wolves midfielder headed home during injury time to secure a narrow win, four years after the star striker had scored twice at the death to defeat a resilient Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a gritty display that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

However, the loss leaves them facing elimination, with their first three qualifying group games having yielded only a solitary draw. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of claiming a qualifying place.

Key Moments

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s shot had hit Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of added time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Other Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their chances of qualifying by securing their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over the Armenian side, climbing above their rivals into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs provided Hungary the lead in the opening period and a teammate secured the victory in late stoppage time.

Group K

Serbia suffered a narrow defeat at home to Albania, with the result meaning England can now secure their passage from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the only goal for Albania with a well-taken volley in late added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in their group persisted as they were forced to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera found the net for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their first point of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Group E

The Spanish national team continued their dominant Group E campaign with a comfortable win over Georgia after goals from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The win continued the European champions’ flawless run in the qualifiers, having notched 11 goals in three games without letting in a goal.

Despite the absence of players such as a talented winger, another forward, and Rodri due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that passed most of the match defending deep. The home side dominated 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 shot-stopper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

Pino broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a well-executed dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the 64th minute with a stunning set-piece after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Additional Scores

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach said: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or Israel. We are aware of what we have to do.”

The Azzurri missed out for the last two World Cups, twice missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now appears their primary chance after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive hammering over the Israeli side in Group I. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six matches. Italy have 12 points with a match less played on their rivals and are three points clear of Israel. The Estonian squad stay fourth on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

Italy host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a qualifying place probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.