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Rúben Neves came to the rescue for Portugal with a injury-time winning goal in their World Cup qualifying match against the Republic of Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a penalty from the veteran forward.

Match Overview

Neves nodded in during added time to secure a 1-0 triumph, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite restoring a significant amount of honor with a battling display that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss puts them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having yielded only a solitary point. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of claiming a qualifying spot.

Major Moments

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have earned Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s effort had hit an Irish defender’s hand.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the opening moments of stoppage time when he headed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Other Group Results

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of advancing by securing their first win with a 2-0 victory over the Armenian side, climbing above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided his team the advantage in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber secured the points in second-half added time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now secure their passage from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the only goal for Albania with a well-taken shot in first-half added time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K persisted as they were held to a 2-2 draw at home by Andorra. An Andorran player scored for the visitors late on from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Spain’s Group

Spain maintained their dominant qualifying group run with a comfortable victory over the Georgian side after strikes from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in Elche. The result extended the title holders’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three games without conceding.

Despite the absence of players such as a talented winger, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game sitting back. Spain dominated the encounter with over eighty percent possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or create a clear chance, with only shot-stopper their keeper averting a rout.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal secured the victory in the 64th minute with a spectacular free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Scores

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was among the goal-getters.
• Italy boosted their hopes of at least reaching the knockout stage with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach commented: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or Israel. We know what we have to do.”

Italy failed to qualify for the previous two World Cups, on two occasions falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now looks their most likely opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive hammering over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are leading on 18 points from six matches. The Italians have twelve points with a match less played on their competitors and are a trio of points ahead of their next opponents. The Estonian squad stay in fourth place on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the qualifying stage.

Italy face their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ far superior goal ratio means a qualifying place probably beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.