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Rúben Neves saved the day for Portugal with a last-gasp decisive strike in their World Cup encounter against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Summary

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during stoppage time to claim a narrow victory, four years after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought point, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of pride with a gritty performance that erased some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

However, the loss leaves them facing elimination, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having produced only a single point. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a playoff spot.

Key Moments

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s shot had struck an Irish defender’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Results

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team enhanced their hopes of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal triumph over Armenia, moving above their rivals into second place behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the advantage in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the victory in second-half added time.

England’s Group

Serbia slipped to a narrow defeat at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now secure their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the only goal for Albania with a neat volley in late added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in Group K persisted as they were held to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the away side late on from time to earn them their first point of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their dominant qualifying group campaign with a comfortable victory over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in Elche. The result extended the title holders’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having notched 11 goals in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad demonstrated their superiority against a Georgia team that passed most of the match sitting back. Spain dominated the encounter with over eighty percent of the ball, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a rout.

Pino broke the deadlock in the first half from a well-executed set-piece routine, and his compatriot wrapped up the win in the second period with a spectacular free kick after Mamardashvili had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a comprehensive thrashing over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in their section. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was one of the goal-getters.
• Italy boosted their prospects of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, another attacker, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach commented: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or Israel. We know our responsibilities.”

Italy failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded backdoor route now looks their primary chance after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are top on eighteen points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a match less played on their competitors and are three points ahead of Israel. Estonia remain fourth on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the runners-up entering the playoffs.

Italy face Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a playoff spot likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.