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Rúben Neves saved the day for Portugal with a injury-time winner in their World Cup qualifying match against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during added time to claim a 1-0 win, several seasons after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to defeat a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a well-earned draw, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a battling performance that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

However, the loss leaves them facing elimination, with their first three qualifying group matches having produced only a single point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of claiming a playoff spot.

Key Moments

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have earned Ireland a draw when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s shot had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of added time when he headed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Results

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal triumph over Armenia, moving above their rivals into second place behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave his team the lead in the opening period and a teammate secured the victory in late added time.

Group K

Serbia slipped to a narrow loss at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning England can now seal their qualification from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the only goal for Albania with a well-taken volley in first-half stoppage time.

The Latvian side difficulties in their group continued as they were held to a 2-2 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 prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their impressive qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 victory over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The result continued the title holders’ perfect record in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three games without letting in a goal.

Despite the unavailability of players such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgia team that spent the majority of the game defending deep. Spain dominated the match with more than 80% possession, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a heavy defeat.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a well-executed set-piece move, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the win in the second period with a spectacular free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Additional Scores

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a comprehensive thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in their section. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable win away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach commented: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or our next opponents. We are aware of what we have to do.”

Italy missed out for the previous two global tournaments, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their most likely chance after Norway’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. Norway are leading on 18 points from six matches. Italy have twelve points with a match less played on their competitors and are a trio of points clear of their next opponents. Estonia remain in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides going into the qualifying stage.

Italy host their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still theoretically overtake the group leaders on points, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot probably beckons for the Italian squad.