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Rúben Neves came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp decisive strike in their World Cup encounter against Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had denied a penalty from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

Neves headed home during injury time to claim a narrow triumph, four years after Ronaldo had scored twice late on to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought draw, but in the end suffered defeat, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a battling display that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them in a difficult position, with their first three Group F matches having produced only a single point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a qualifying spot.

Key Incidents

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick 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 added time when he headed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Other Group Results

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their hopes of advancing by securing their first win with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, climbing above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the lead in the opening period and a teammate secured the points in second-half added time.

Group K

Serbia suffered a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning England can now secure their qualification from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the decisive strike for Albania with a neat shot in first-half added time.

Latvia difficulties in their group persisted as they were forced to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera found the net for the visitors late on from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their dominant qualifying group campaign with a comfortable victory over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The result continued the title holders’ perfect run in qualifying, having notched 11 goals in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgia team that spent the majority of the game sitting back. Spain dominated the match with over eighty percent of the ball, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a rout.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece move, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the win in the second period with a stunning set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Additional Results

• Turkey bounced back with a comprehensive victory over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in their section. The Spanish club’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• Italy improved their prospects of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, another attacker, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or our next opponents. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two global tournaments, twice falling short in the playoffs, and the feared backdoor route now appears their primary chance after Norway’s comprehensive win over Israel in their qualifying group. Norway are top on eighteen points from six matches. Italy have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points ahead of Israel. Estonia remain in fourth place on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the World Cup, with the runners-up going into the playoffs.

Italy host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure second spot and, while they can still theoretically overtake Norway on points, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot probably awaits for the Italian squad.