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Rúben Neves saved the day for Portugal with a injury-time decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying clash against the Republic of Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Summary

The Wolves midfielder found the net during stoppage time to secure a narrow victory, four years after the star striker had bagged a brace at the death to defeat a resilient Ireland team.

The Irish squad looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a battling performance that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them staring down the barrel, with their first three Group F matches having produced only a single point. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of claiming a qualifying spot.

Key Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had hit an Irish defender’s hand.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the first minute of added time when he headed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Results

Group F

Hungary boosted their chances of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over the Armenian side, moving above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the lead in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the points in late stoppage time.

Group K

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 beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for Albania with a neat volley in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side difficulties in their group persisted as they were held to a 2-2 draw at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors late on from time to claim them their first point of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their dominant qualifying group run with a comfortable win over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The result extended the European champions’ flawless run in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and Rodri due to injuries, the Spanish squad demonstrated their dominance against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game sitting back. Spain controlled the match with over eighty percent of the ball, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a rout.

Pino broke the deadlock in the first half from a expertly taken set-piece routine, and his compatriot secured the win in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Other Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 thrashing over the Bulgarian side to stay close to Spain in Group E. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable win away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

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

The Azzurri missed out for the last two global tournaments, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now looks their most likely chance after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive win over Israel in Group I. Norway are leading on 18 points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a match less played on their competitors and are three points ahead of their next opponents. Estonia stay in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the runners-up going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake Norway on points, the Norwegians’ far superior goal ratio means a playoff spot likely awaits for the Italian squad.