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Rúben Neves was the hero for the Portuguese side with a injury-time winner in their World Cup qualifying clash against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Summary

The Wolves midfielder found the net during stoppage time to secure a narrow victory, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of honor with a gritty display that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

However, the loss leaves them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of Group F matches having produced only a solitary draw. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a playoff spot.

Major Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had hit Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of added time when he headed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Additional Group Results

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a 2-0 victory over the Armenian side, climbing above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs gave his team the advantage in the first half and a teammate secured the victory in second-half added time.

England’s Group

Serbia slipped to a narrow loss at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their qualification from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the only goal for Albania with a well-taken volley in late stoppage time.

Latvia difficulties in their group persisted as they were forced to a 2-2 draw 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 poor form to five games.

Group E

Spain maintained their dominant Group E run with a 2-0 victory over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in Elche. The win continued the European champions’ perfect record in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

Despite the absence of key figures such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that passed the majority of the game defending deep. Spain dominated the match with over eighty percent of the ball, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper their keeper preventing a rout.

Pino broke the deadlock in the first half from a well-executed dead-ball move, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had denied a Spanish player’s penalty.

Additional Scores

• Turkey bounced back with a comprehensive victory over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in their section. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable win away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach said: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or our next opponents. We are aware of what we have to do.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the previous two World Cups, twice missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now looks their primary opportunity after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive win over Israel in Group I. Norway are top on eighteen points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of Israel. The Estonian squad stay fourth on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the qualifying stage.

Italy host Israel on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on the table, the leaders’ far superior goal ratio means a playoff spot probably beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.