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Rúben Neves saved the day for the Portuguese side with a dramatic winner in their World Cup clash against Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Summary

Neves found the net during injury time to snatch a narrow victory, several seasons after the star striker had scored twice at the death to overcome a stubborn Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite regaining a good deal of honor with a gritty performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

However, the defeat leaves them facing elimination, with their first three qualifying group matches having yielded only a single draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a playoff spot.

Major Moments

• Kelleher seemed to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had hit Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of added time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Other Qualifying Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team enhanced their hopes of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, moving above their rivals into second place behind Portugal in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided his team the lead in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the points in late added time.

Group K

Serbia slipped to a 1-0 defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now secure their passage from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the decisive strike for his team with a neat shot in late added time.

The Latvian side struggles in their group persisted as they were held to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player found the net for the away side late on from time to claim them their first point of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Group E

Spain continued their impressive Group E campaign with a 2-0 victory over Georgia after strikes from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The result extended the title holders’ perfect run in qualifying, having notched 11 goals in three matches without letting in a goal.

Despite the absence of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that passed most of the match sitting back. The home side dominated the match with over eighty percent of the ball, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

Pino opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal secured the victory in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Additional Scores

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a 6-1 thrashing over Bulgaria to stay close to Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or Israel. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

Italy missed out for the previous two World Cups, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their primary chance after Norway’s 5-0 win over Israel in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are top on eighteen points from six matches. Italy have twelve points with a game in hand on their competitors and are a trio of points clear of their next opponents. The Estonian squad remain fourth on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the playoffs.

The Italian national team face their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on points, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a qualifying place probably awaits for the Italian squad.