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Rúben Neves came to the rescue for Portugal with a injury-time winning goal in their World Cup clash against Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

Neves nodded in during added time to claim a slender win, several seasons after Ronaldo had scored twice late on to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite regaining a significant amount of honor with a gritty performance that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss puts them facing elimination, with their first three qualifying group matches having produced only a single point. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a qualifying place.

Major Moments

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s effort had struck Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the opening moments of added time when he directed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal triumph over Armenia, moving above their rivals into second place behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the advantage in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the points in second-half added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their qualification from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for Albania with a neat volley in first-half added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in Group K persisted as they were held to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera scored for the visitors late on from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Group E

Spain maintained their impressive Group E campaign with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The win extended the European champions’ perfect record in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that spent most of the match sitting back. Spain controlled the encounter with over eighty percent of the ball, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper their keeper preventing a rout.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken dead-ball move, and his compatriot secured the win in the second period with a stunning free kick after Mamardashvili had saved Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Other Scores

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive thrashing over Bulgaria to stay close to the group leaders in Group E. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was one of the scorers.
• Italy improved their prospects of at least making the knockout stage with a 3-1 victory away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach said: “We’re not thinking about Norway or our next opponents. We know our responsibilities.”

Italy failed to qualify for the previous two World Cups, on two occasions missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now appears their primary opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 hammering over the Israeli side in Group I. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six games. Italy have twelve points with a match less played on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of their next opponents. Estonia stay in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the tournament, with the runners-up entering the playoffs.

The Italian national team host Israel on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake Norway on the table, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a playoff spot probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.