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Rúben Neves was the hero for Portugal with a dramatic decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying clash against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had saved a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Summary

Neves headed home during added time to secure a narrow triumph, four years after the star striker had scored twice at the death to defeat a resilient Ireland team.

The Irish squad appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of pride with a gritty display that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat puts them facing elimination, with their first three Group F matches having produced only a solitary draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of securing a qualifying spot.

Major Incidents

• Kelleher looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had hit an Irish defender’s hand.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the first minute of stoppage time when he headed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Group Results

Portugal’s Group

Hungary enhanced their hopes of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a 2-0 victory over the Armenian side, moving above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave his team the lead in the opening period and a teammate secured the victory in late stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a narrow defeat at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now secure their qualification from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken shot in first-half stoppage time.

Latvia difficulties in Group K continued as they were forced to a 2-2 draw at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the visitors late on from time to claim them their first point of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Group E

Spain maintained their impressive Group E run with a 2-0 victory over the Georgian side after goals from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The result extended the European champions’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having scored eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game defending deep. Spain dominated the match with more than 80% of the ball, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or create a clear chance, with only shot-stopper their keeper preventing a rout.

Pino opened the scoring in the first half from a well-executed dead-ball routine, and his compatriot secured the win in the second period with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a 6-1 victory over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was one of the scorers.
• Italy boosted their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a 3-1 win away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from a forward, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

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

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now looks their most likely chance after Norway’s 5-0 win over Israel in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are top on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of their next opponents. The Estonian squad stay fourth on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the tournament, with the runners-up going into the playoffs.

Italy face Israel on Tuesday, where a win would secure second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on points, the Norwegians’ much better goal difference means a playoff spot likely beckons for the Italian squad.