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Rúben Neves was the hero for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp winning goal in their World Cup clash against Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Overview

The Wolves midfielder headed home during added time to claim a slender victory, four years after the star striker had bagged a brace at the death to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought draw, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a battling display that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat leaves them in a difficult position, with their first three qualifying group matches having yielded only a solitary point. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a playoff place.

Major Incidents

• Kelleher seemed to have earned Ireland a point when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s effort had struck an Irish defender’s arm.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he headed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Results

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their hopes of advancing by picking up their first win with a 2-0 victory over the Armenian side, climbing above their rivals into second place behind Portugal in the standings. Daniel Lukacs provided his team the lead in the opening period and a teammate secured the victory in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team suffered a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now secure their passage from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for his team with a neat shot in first-half stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in their group persisted as they were forced to a two-all tie at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera found the net for the away side 12 minutes from time to claim them their first point of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Spain’s Group

Spain maintained their impressive Group E run with a 2-0 win over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in Elche. The win extended the title holders’ perfect record in qualifying, having scored eleven strikes in three matches without letting in a goal.

Despite the unavailability of players such as a talented winger, another forward, and Rodri due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgia team that passed the majority of the game defending deep. Spain dominated the match with more than 80% of the ball, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper their keeper preventing a heavy defeat.

Pino opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece routine, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had saved a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Additional Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on the group leaders in their section. The Spanish club’s a young talent was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad boosted their prospects of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach commented: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or our next opponents. We know our responsibilities.”

Italy failed to qualify for the previous two World Cups, twice missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now appears their most likely chance after Norway’s comprehensive win over Israel in their qualifying group. Norway are top on eighteen points from six games. The Italians have twelve points with a match less played on their rivals and are a trio of points ahead of their next opponents. Estonia stay in fourth place on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the tournament, with the second-placed sides going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host Israel on Tuesday, where a win would secure second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a qualifying place probably beckons for the Italian squad.