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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 Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Overview

Neves nodded in during added time to secure a slender win, four years after Ronaldo had scored twice late on to defeat a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a gritty performance that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having produced only a solitary draw. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a playoff place.

Key Moments

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s effort had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of added time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Results

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of qualifying by securing their first win with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, moving above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided his team the advantage in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the victory in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the decisive strike for Albania with a neat shot in first-half stoppage time.

The Latvian side difficulties in Group K persisted as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their first point of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their impressive qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in Elche. The win extended the title holders’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three matches without conceding.

In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their superiority against a Georgia team that spent the majority of the game defending deep. The home side dominated the match with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have one shot 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 set-piece move, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the win in the 64th minute with a spectacular set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Other Scores

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive thrashing over Bulgaria to stay close to Spain in Group E. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was one of the scorers.
• Italy improved their hopes of at least reaching the knockout stage with a 3-1 victory away to Estonia, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

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

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two global tournaments, twice falling short in the playoffs, and the feared playoff path now looks their primary chance after Norway’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are leading on 18 points from six games. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are a trio of points ahead of their next opponents. The Estonian squad stay fourth on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the playoffs.

Italy face their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically overtake Norway on points, the Norwegians’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot likely beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.