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Rúben Neves saved the day for Portugal with a dramatic winning goal in their World Cup qualifying encounter against Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Overview

The Wolves midfielder found the net during injury time to secure a narrow win, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace at the death to defeat a resilient Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a battling display that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

However, the loss leaves them staring down the barrel, with their first three Group F matches having produced only a single draw. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming a playoff place.

Major Moments

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have earned Ireland a draw when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s effort had hit Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of added 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 Group F. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the lead in the opening period 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 qualification from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken volley in late added time.

Latvia difficulties in Group K persisted as they were held to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera found the net for the visitors late on from time to earn them their first point of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Group E

The Spanish national team continued their dominant qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 victory over Georgia after goals from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in Elche. The result extended the European champions’ flawless record in qualifying, having notched 11 goals in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgia team that spent the majority of the game sitting back. The home side controlled the encounter with more than 80% possession, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only goalkeeper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

Pino broke the deadlock in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Other Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on the group leaders in their section. The Spanish club’s a young talent was one of the goal-getters.
• Italy improved their prospects of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable victory away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

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

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two World Cups, twice falling short in the playoffs, and the feared backdoor route now looks their primary chance after Norway’s comprehensive win over Israel in their qualifying group. Norway are top on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad stay in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

Italy host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake the group leaders on points, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.