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Rúben Neves saved the day for the Portuguese side with a injury-time winning goal in their World Cup clash against Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

The Wolves midfielder found the net during added time to claim a narrow win, four years after the star striker had scored twice late on to defeat a resilient Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of honor with a battling display that erased some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

However, the loss leaves them facing elimination, with their initial trio of Group F games having yielded only a single point. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming a qualifying place.

Key Moments

• Kelleher seemed to have earned Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s effort had struck Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Other Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of advancing by securing their first win with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, moving above their rivals into second place behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave his team the lead in the first half and Zsombor Gruber secured the points in late added time.

Group K

Serbia slipped to a narrow loss at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now secure their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the decisive strike for his team with a neat shot in first-half stoppage time.

Latvia struggles in Group K continued as they were forced to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Group E

Spain maintained their dominant Group E campaign with a comfortable win over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The result continued the European champions’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having notched eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

Despite the unavailability of players such as a talented winger, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that spent most of the match sitting back. The home side dominated the match with over eighty percent of the ball, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

Pino broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the win in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after Mamardashvili had denied a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a 6-1 thrashing over the Bulgarian side to stay close to the group leaders in Group E. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was one of the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “We’re not thinking about Norway or Israel. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri missed out for the last two World Cups, on two occasions missing out in the playoffs, and the feared playoff path now looks their most likely chance after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive hammering over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are leading on eighteen points from six games. The Italians have 12 points with a match less played on their rivals 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.

The Italian national team host Israel on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a qualifying place likely beckons for the Italian squad.