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Rúben Neves was the hero for the Portuguese side with a injury-time winner in their World Cup match against Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Summary

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during stoppage time to snatch a 1-0 win, four years after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to overcome a resilient Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought draw, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite regaining a good deal of honor with a battling display that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss puts them in a difficult position, with their first three Group F matches having yielded only a solitary point. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a playoff spot.

Key Moments

• Kelleher looked to have secured Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s effort had struck Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of stoppage time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Results

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team enhanced their chances of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the advantage in the opening period and a teammate secured the points in second-half added time.

Group K

Serbia slipped to a narrow loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning England can now seal their qualification from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the only goal for Albania with a well-taken volley in first-half stoppage time.

The Latvian side difficulties in Group K continued as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera scored for the visitors late on from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Spain’s Group

Spain maintained their impressive qualifying group run with a comfortable win over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The win extended the European champions’ perfect run in qualifying, having scored eleven strikes in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgia team that spent most of the match defending deep. 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 shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a rout.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the first half from a expertly taken set-piece move, and his compatriot wrapped up the win in the 64th minute with a stunning set-piece after Mamardashvili had denied Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Other Scores

• Turkey bounced back with a 6-1 victory over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in their section. The Spanish club’s a young talent was one of the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, another attacker, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach commented: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or Israel. We are aware of what we have to do.”

Italy failed to qualify for the previous two World Cups, on two occasions missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now looks their most likely opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are leading on 18 points from six games. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their competitors and are three points ahead of Israel. Estonia remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

Italy face their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still theoretically overtake Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot likely beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.