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Rúben Neves saved the day for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp winner in their World Cup clash against the Republic of Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Overview

Neves nodded in during injury time to snatch a 1-0 win, several seasons after Ronaldo had scored twice late on to defeat a resilient Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a gritty display that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat leaves them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of qualifying group matches having produced only a single draw. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of claiming a qualifying place.

Key Incidents

• Kelleher looked to have secured Ireland a point when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s shot had struck an Irish defender’s arm.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the opening moments of added time when he headed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Results

Group F

Hungary enhanced their chances of qualifying by picking up their first win with a 2-0 triumph over the Armenian side, moving above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs provided his team the advantage in the first half and a teammate secured the points in second-half stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 loss at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning England can now secure their passage from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the only goal for his team with a well-taken shot in first-half added time.

Latvia struggles in Group K continued as they were held to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera scored for the away side 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their dominant Group E campaign with a 2-0 victory over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in Elche. The win continued the European champions’ perfect record in the qualifiers, having notched 11 goals in three matches without letting in a goal.

Despite the unavailability of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that passed most of the match defending deep. The home side dominated the match with more than 80% of the ball, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper their keeper preventing a rout.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal secured the victory in the 64th minute with a spectacular free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Other Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 thrashing over the Bulgarian side to stay close to the group leaders in their section. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was one of the scorers.
• Italy improved their prospects of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from a forward, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach commented: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or our next opponents. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri missed out for the last two World Cups, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now appears their most likely chance after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive hammering over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six games. Italy have twelve points with a match less played on their rivals and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad stay in fourth place on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the tournament, with the second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

The Italian national team host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still theoretically overtake the group leaders on the table, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.