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Rúben Neves saved the day for Portugal with a last-gasp winner in their World Cup qualifying clash against Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

Neves found the net during stoppage time to secure a narrow win, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to defeat a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a gritty performance that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having produced only a solitary point. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming a playoff spot.

Major Moments

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s effort had struck an Irish defender’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their chances of advancing by picking up their first win with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, moving above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in the standings. Daniel Lukacs provided his team the advantage in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the victory in late stoppage time.

Group K

Serbia suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now seal 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 late stoppage time.

The Latvian side difficulties in their group continued as they were forced to a 2-2 draw at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera scored for the visitors late on from time to claim them their first point of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Group E

Spain continued their dominant Group E campaign with a comfortable victory over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in Elche. The win extended the European champions’ flawless record in qualifying, having scored 11 goals in three games without conceding.

Despite the absence of key figures such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to injuries, the Spanish squad demonstrated their superiority against a Georgia team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. The home side controlled the match with over eighty percent possession, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or create a clear chance, with only goalkeeper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

Pino opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken set-piece routine, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the second period with a spectacular free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a 6-1 victory over the Bulgarian side to stay close to Spain in Group E. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to Estonia, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, another attacker, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach said: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or Israel. We know what we have to do.”

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two World Cups, twice missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their primary chance after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive hammering over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are leading on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points clear of Israel. Estonia remain fourth on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the playoffs.

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