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Rúben Neves came to the rescue for Portugal with a last-gasp winner in their World Cup qualifying encounter against Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had denied a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Overview

Neves found the net during injury time to secure a slender victory, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace at the death to overcome a stubborn Ireland team.

The Irish squad looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of honor with a gritty performance that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

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

Key Moments

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s effort had struck Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Other Group Results

Group F

Hungary enhanced their hopes of advancing by picking up their first win with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, moving above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave his team the advantage in the first half and a teammate secured the points in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 defeat at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken volley in first-half stoppage time.

The Latvian side difficulties in Group K continued as they were forced to a 2-2 draw at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera scored for the away side 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their impressive Group E campaign with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after goals from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The result extended the title holders’ flawless run in qualifying, having scored eleven strikes in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their superiority against a Georgia team that passed most of the match sitting back. The home side controlled the match with over eighty percent of the ball, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper their keeper averting a rout.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece move, and his compatriot wrapped up the win in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after Mamardashvili had denied a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a comprehensive thrashing over Bulgaria to stay close to the group leaders in their section. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was one of the goal-getters.
• Italy improved their hopes of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable victory away to Estonia, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, another attacker, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach said: “We’re not thinking about 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 missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their primary chance after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 hammering over the Israeli side in Group I. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six matches. Italy have twelve points with a match less played on their rivals and are three points ahead of their next opponents. Estonia stay in fourth place on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the playoffs.

Italy face their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch the group leaders on points, the Norwegians’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place probably beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.