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Rúben Neves came to the rescue for Portugal with a injury-time winning goal in their World Cup qualifying match against Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had denied a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during injury time to secure a 1-0 triumph, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace at the death to defeat a resilient Ireland team.

The Irish squad appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought draw, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a battling display that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them in a difficult position, with their first three Group F games having yielded only a single point. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a playoff spot.

Major Moments

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s effort had hit Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• Neves saved Portugal in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, moving above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in Group F. Daniel Lukacs gave his team the lead in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the points in second-half stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now seal their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the only goal for Albania with a well-taken shot in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in their group continued as they were forced to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

Spain continued their impressive Group E campaign with a comfortable win over the Georgian side after goals from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win continued the European champions’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having notched 11 goals in three games without letting in a goal.

Despite the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that spent most of the match sitting back. Spain controlled the encounter with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a rout.

Pino broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and his compatriot secured the win in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after Mamardashvili had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. Real Madrid’s a young talent was one of the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad boosted 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, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

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

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two World Cups, twice missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now appears their most likely opportunity after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive hammering over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are leading on 18 points from six games. The Italians have twelve points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points ahead of Israel. Estonia remain fourth on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the tournament, with the runners-up going into the playoffs.

The Italian national team host their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on points, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot likely awaits for the Italian squad.