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Rúben Neves saved the day for Portugal with a injury-time winner in their World Cup qualifying encounter against the Republic of Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had denied a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Summary

Neves nodded in during injury time to claim a slender victory, several seasons after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to overcome a resilient Irish side.

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 display that erased some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat puts them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of Group F matches having yielded only a single draw. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a qualifying spot.

Major Incidents

• Kelleher seemed to have earned Ireland a point when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s effort had struck an Irish defender’s arm.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Group Results

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team enhanced their chances of qualifying by securing their initial victory with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, moving above their rivals into second place behind Portugal in the standings. Daniel Lukacs gave his team the lead in the opening period and a teammate secured the points in late added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow defeat at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now secure their qualification from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for his team with a neat shot in late stoppage time.

Latvia difficulties in their group persisted as they were held to a 2-2 draw at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Group E

Spain maintained their dominant qualifying group run with a 2-0 victory over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The win continued the title holders’ flawless run in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game defending deep. Spain controlled the encounter with more than 80% of the ball, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or create a clear chance, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a rout.

Pino opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and his compatriot wrapped up the win in the 64th minute with a stunning set-piece after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive victory over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least reaching the knockout stage with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes 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 our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri missed out for the last two World Cups, twice missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now appears their primary chance after Norway’s 5-0 win over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six games. Italy have twelve points with a game in hand on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of Israel. The Estonian squad remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the runners-up entering the playoffs.

Italy host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch the group leaders on points, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a playoff spot likely awaits for the Italian squad.