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Rúben Neves saved the day for Portugal with a injury-time winning goal in their World Cup qualifying encounter against the Republic of Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during added time to secure a 1-0 win, several seasons after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to overcome a stubborn Ireland team.

The Irish squad looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but in the end suffered defeat, despite restoring a significant amount of pride with a gritty performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

However, the defeat leaves them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of Group F games having yielded only a solitary draw. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of claiming a playoff spot.

Major Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have earned Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of added time when he headed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team boosted their chances of qualifying by securing their first win with a 2-0 triumph over the Armenian side, moving above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave his team the lead in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the points in late added time.

England’s Group

Serbia suffered a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now seal their passage from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for Albania with a neat volley in late stoppage time.

Latvia difficulties in their group continued as they were forced to a two-all draw at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera found the net for the away side 12 minutes from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team maintained their impressive qualifying group run with a comfortable win over the Georgian side after strikes from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in Elche. The win extended the title holders’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having notched eleven strikes in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. The home side controlled the encounter with over eighty percent of the ball, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only goalkeeper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

Pino opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece move, and his compatriot wrapped up the win in the second period with a stunning set-piece after Mamardashvili had denied a Spanish player’s penalty.

Other Scores

• Turkey bounced back with a comprehensive victory over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was one of the goal-getters.
• Italy improved their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or our next opponents. We know what we have to do.”

Italy missed out for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions falling short in the playoffs, and the feared playoff path now appears their most likely opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 hammering over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are top on eighteen points from six games. Italy have twelve points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points ahead of their next opponents. Estonia stay fourth on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team face their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch the group leaders on points, the Norwegians’ much better goal difference means a playoff spot probably beckons for the Italian squad.