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Rúben Neves saved the day for the Portuguese side with a injury-time winning goal in their World Cup qualifying encounter against the Republic of Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Summary

The Wolves midfielder headed home during stoppage time to claim a slender victory, several seasons after the star striker had scored twice at the death to overcome a resilient Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a well-earned draw, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of honor with a battling performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them facing elimination, with their initial trio of Group F games having yielded only a single draw. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of securing a playoff spot.

Key Moments

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have earned Ireland a point when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s shot had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of added time when he headed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

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

Group K

Serbia slipped to a 1-0 loss at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the only goal for his team with a neat volley in first-half added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in their group continued as they were forced to a two-all tie at home by Andorra. An Andorran player scored for the away side late on from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their dominant qualifying group campaign with a comfortable victory over Georgia after goals from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The result continued the title holders’ perfect record in the qualifiers, having notched 11 goals in three games without conceding.

Despite the unavailability of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. Spain dominated the match with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or create a clear chance, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a rout.

Pino broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece routine, and his compatriot wrapped up the victory in the second period with a stunning set-piece after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a 6-1 thrashing over Bulgaria to stay close to the group leaders in Group E. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad boosted their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable win away to Estonia, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or Israel. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

Italy failed to qualify for the previous two World Cups, on two occasions missing out in the playoffs, and the feared playoff path now appears their most likely opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive hammering over Israel in their qualifying group. Norway 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 clear of Israel. Estonia stay fourth on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the tournament, with the runners-up going into the playoffs.

Italy host their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still theoretically overtake the group leaders on the table, the leaders’ far superior goal ratio means a playoff spot likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.