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Rúben Neves was the hero for Portugal with a injury-time winner in their World Cup qualifying clash against Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Summary

Neves found the net during added time to claim a slender victory, four years after the star striker had bagged a brace at the death to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought draw, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a battling performance that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

However, the defeat leaves them facing elimination, with their initial trio of Group F matches 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 seemed to have secured Ireland a point when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s effort had struck Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of stoppage time when he headed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Other Group Results

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of advancing by securing their first win with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, moving above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the lead in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the points in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now secure their passage from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken shot in first-half stoppage time.

The Latvian side difficulties in Group K continued as they were held to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player found the net for the away side late on from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Group E

The Spanish national team continued their impressive qualifying group run with a comfortable victory over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The result extended the title holders’ perfect record in the qualifiers, having notched eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

In spite of the absence of players such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their superiority against a Georgia team that spent most of the match defending deep. Spain controlled the encounter with over eighty percent of the ball, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a rout.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece routine, and his compatriot secured the victory in the second period with a stunning free kick after Mamardashvili had denied Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Other Scores

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a 6-1 thrashing over Bulgaria to stay close to Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from a forward, another attacker, and a third scorer.

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

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, twice missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now looks their most likely opportunity after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. Norway are top on 18 points from six games. The Italians have twelve points with a match less played on their rivals and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. Estonia remain in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the playoffs.

Italy face their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place likely beckons for the Italian squad.