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Rúben Neves saved the day for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp decisive strike in their World Cup clash against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a penalty from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

Neves headed home during added time to claim a slender win, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to defeat a resilient Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but in the end suffered defeat, despite restoring a significant amount of pride with a gritty performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss puts them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of 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.

Key Moments

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a point when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s effort had struck an Irish defender’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of stoppage time when he headed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

Hungary enhanced their hopes of qualifying by picking up their first win with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs gave his team the advantage in the first half and a teammate made sure of the points in second-half stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a narrow loss at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the only goal for his team with a neat shot in first-half added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in their group continued as they were held to a 2-2 draw at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera scored for the away side 12 minutes from time to earn them their first point of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their impressive Group E run with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after strikes from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win extended the title holders’ perfect record in qualifying, having scored eleven strikes 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 injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that passed most of the match defending deep. Spain dominated the match with over eighty percent of the ball, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or create a clear chance, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a rout.

Pino broke the deadlock in the first half from a well-executed dead-ball move, and his compatriot secured the win in the 64th minute with a stunning set-piece after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Additional Results

• Turkey bounced back with a comprehensive thrashing over Bulgaria to stay close to Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• Italy improved their prospects of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach 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 missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now looks their primary opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 hammering over Israel in Group I. Norway are leading on 18 points from six matches. Italy have twelve points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points clear of Israel. Estonia stay fourth on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the playoffs.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically overtake the group leaders on points, the Norwegians’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place probably awaits for the Italian squad.