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Rúben Neves was the hero for the Portuguese side with a injury-time winner in their World Cup encounter against the Republic of Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Summary

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during stoppage time to snatch a slender victory, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to overcome a resilient Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned point, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of honor with a gritty display that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of Group F games having produced only a solitary draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of claiming a playoff place.

Key Incidents

• Kelleher seemed to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s shot had hit an Irish defender’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of added time when he directed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

Hungary enhanced their hopes of advancing by picking up their first win with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, moving above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the advantage in the first half and a teammate secured the points in late added time.

England’s Group

Serbia suffered a 1-0 loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now secure their passage from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken shot in first-half added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in their group continued as they were forced to a two-all draw at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera scored for the away side late on from time to earn them their first point of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Group E

The Spanish national team continued their dominant Group E run with a comfortable win over the Georgian side after goals from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The result continued the European champions’ perfect record in qualifying, having notched 11 goals in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of the absence of players such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their dominance against a Georgian team that spent most of the match defending deep. The home side controlled the encounter with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

Pino opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a well-executed dead-ball move, and Oyarzabal secured the victory in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after Mamardashvili had denied 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 goal-getters.
• Italy improved their hopes of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “We’re not thinking about Norway or Israel. We are aware of what we have to do.”

Italy missed out for the last two World Cups, on two occasions falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now looks their most likely opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive win over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are leading on eighteen points from six matches. Italy have 12 points with a match less played on their competitors and are a trio of points ahead of their next opponents. Estonia remain fourth on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team face their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.