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Rúben Neves was the hero for Portugal with a dramatic winner in their World Cup qualifying match against Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Overview

Neves found the net during injury time to secure a narrow triumph, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to defeat a resilient Ireland team.

The Irish squad appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of pride with a battling performance that erased some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them facing elimination, with their initial trio of qualifying group matches having produced only a single point. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a playoff place.

Key Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have earned Ireland a point when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s effort had hit Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of added time when he directed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Additional Group Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of qualifying by picking up their first win with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, moving above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the lead in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber secured the points in late added time.

Group K

Serbia suffered a narrow loss at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning England can now secure their qualification from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken volley in first-half added time.

Latvia difficulties in their group continued as they were forced to a 2-2 draw at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera scored for the visitors late on from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Group E

The Spanish national team continued their dominant qualifying group run with a comfortable victory over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The win continued the European champions’ flawless record in qualifying, having scored eleven strikes in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that spent most of the match sitting back. The home side controlled the encounter with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a spectacular set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Other Scores

• Turkey bounced back with a 6-1 victory over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

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

Italy failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, twice missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now appears their most likely opportunity after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 hammering over the Israeli side in Group I. The Norwegians are top on eighteen points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a match less played on their competitors and are a trio of points ahead of their next opponents. The Estonian squad stay in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the runners-up going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot probably beckons for the Italian squad.