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Rúben Neves was the hero for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp decisive strike in their World Cup match against Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder found the net during injury time to snatch a slender win, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to defeat a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought draw, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of pride with a gritty performance that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat puts them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having yielded only a single draw. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a qualifying spot.

Major Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s shot had hit Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the opening moments of added time when he headed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

Hungary enhanced their chances of advancing by securing their first win with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, moving above their rivals into second place behind Portugal in Group F. Daniel Lukacs provided his team the lead in the first half and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the victory in late added time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now secure their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken shot in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K persisted as they were forced to a 2-2 draw at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera scored for the away side 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Group E

The Spanish national team continued their dominant Group E campaign with a 2-0 victory over Georgia after goals from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The result extended the European champions’ flawless run in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three games without letting in a goal.

Despite the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that passed most of the match defending deep. The home side controlled the match with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or create a clear chance, with only shot-stopper their keeper preventing a heavy defeat.

Pino opened the scoring in the first half from a well-executed set-piece routine, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the 64th minute with a stunning set-piece after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Additional Scores

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a 6-1 thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the scorers.
• Italy improved their prospects of at least making the knockout stage with a comfortable win away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from a forward, another attacker, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “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 falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now looks their most likely opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 win over Israel in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six games. The Italians have 12 points with a match less played on their competitors and are three points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad stay in fourth place on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the tournament, with the second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would secure second spot and, while they can still mathematically overtake Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ far superior goal ratio means a playoff spot probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.