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Rúben Neves saved the day for Portugal with a injury-time winning goal in their World Cup qualifying encounter against Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Game Summary

Neves nodded in during injury time to claim a slender victory, four years after the star striker had scored twice late on to defeat a stubborn Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought point, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a gritty display that erased some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat leaves them facing elimination, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having produced only a solitary point. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of securing a qualifying place.

Key Incidents

• Kelleher seemed to have earned Ireland a draw when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s effort 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.

Other Qualifying Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary enhanced their chances of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, moving above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in Group F. Daniel Lukacs provided his team the advantage in the first half and a teammate made sure of the points in second-half stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 loss at home to Albania, with the result meaning England can now seal their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken volley in first-half stoppage time.

The Latvian side difficulties in Group K persisted as they were held to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera scored for the away side 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Spain’s Group

Spain continued their dominant qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 win over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The win extended the European champions’ perfect record in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three matches without conceding.

Despite the unavailability of players such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their superiority against a Georgia team that passed most of the match sitting back. The home side dominated the encounter with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or create a clear chance, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a rout.

Pino broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a well-executed set-piece routine, and his compatriot wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a spectacular set-piece after Mamardashvili had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Additional Scores

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a 6-1 victory over Bulgaria to stay close to the group leaders in their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, another attacker, and a third scorer.

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

Italy failed to qualify for the previous two global tournaments, on two occasions missing out in the playoffs, and the feared backdoor route now appears their most likely chance after Norway’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are leading on eighteen points from six matches. Italy have twelve points with a game in hand on their competitors and are three points ahead of their next opponents. The Estonian squad stay fourth on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

Italy host Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake Norway on the table, the leaders’ far superior goal difference means a playoff spot likely beckons for the Italian squad.