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Rúben Neves came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a injury-time winning goal in their World Cup clash against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

Neves found the net during injury time to claim a narrow victory, four years after the star striker had bagged a brace late on 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 gritty display that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat leaves them in a difficult position, with their first three Group F games having yielded only a solitary draw. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of securing a playoff spot.

Major Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s effort had hit Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Results

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team enhanced their hopes of advancing by securing their first win with a 2-0 triumph over the Armenian side, climbing above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave his team the advantage in the first half and a teammate secured the victory in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

Serbia slipped to a narrow defeat at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning England can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken shot in late added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in Group K continued as they were held to a 2-2 draw at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Spain’s Group

Spain maintained their dominant qualifying group run with a comfortable win over Georgia after goals from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The result extended the title holders’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three matches without conceding.

In spite of the absence of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game defending deep. The home side dominated the match with more than 80% possession, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

Pino opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a expertly taken dead-ball move, and his compatriot secured the victory in the second period with a spectacular free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive victory over Bulgaria to stay close to Spain in Group E. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach commented: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or our next opponents. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now looks their most likely chance after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 hammering over Israel in Group I. Norway are top on 18 points from six games. Italy have twelve points with a match less played on their competitors and are a trio of points ahead of their next opponents. Estonia stay in fourth place on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the World Cup, with the runners-up going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch the group leaders on points, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.