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Rúben Neves came to the rescue for Portugal with a injury-time winner in their World Cup match against Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had denied a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Summary

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during added time to claim a slender victory, several seasons after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to overcome a resilient Ireland team.

The Irish squad appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a gritty display that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them facing elimination, with their initial trio of Group F games having produced only a solitary draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of claiming a qualifying spot.

Major Incidents

• Kelleher looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s effort had hit an Irish defender’s arm.
• Neves saved Portugal in the opening moments of added time when he headed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Additional Group Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their chances of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, moving above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave his team the advantage in the opening period and a teammate secured the victory in second-half added time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now seal their qualification from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the decisive strike for his team with a neat volley in first-half stoppage time.

Latvia struggles in Group K continued as they were forced to a two-all tie at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera found the net for the away side 12 minutes from time to claim them their first point of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Spain’s Group

Spain continued their impressive Group E campaign with a comfortable win over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win extended the European champions’ perfect record in qualifying, having scored eleven strikes in three matches without conceding.

In spite of 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 Georgian team that spent the majority of the game sitting back. The home side dominated the match with over eighty percent of the ball, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the first half from a well-executed dead-ball move, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the win in the 64th minute with a spectacular free kick after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Other Scores

• Turkey bounced back with a 6-1 thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• Italy boosted their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or our next opponents. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the previous two global tournaments, on two occasions falling short in the playoffs, and the feared playoff path now looks their most likely chance after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 hammering over Israel in their qualifying group. Norway are top on eighteen points from six games. The Italians have twelve points with a match less played on their competitors and are three points ahead of Israel. Estonia remain fourth on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

Italy host Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on the table, the leaders’ far superior goal difference means a playoff spot likely beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.