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Rúben Neves saved the day for Portugal with a injury-time winner in their World Cup qualifying clash against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had denied a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Summary

Neves found the net during injury time to claim a 1-0 win, several seasons after Ronaldo had scored twice late on to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought point, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a gritty display that erased some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat leaves them facing elimination, with their initial trio of Group F matches having produced only a single point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a qualifying spot.

Major Moments

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s effort had hit Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of added time when he headed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Results

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their chances of qualifying by picking up their first win with a two-goal triumph over Armenia, moving above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave his team the advantage in the first half and a teammate made sure of the victory in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now secure their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the only goal for Albania with a neat volley in first-half added time.

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

Spain’s Group

Spain continued their dominant qualifying group run with a comfortable win over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The win extended the European champions’ flawless record in qualifying, having scored 11 goals in three matches without conceding.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that passed most of the match sitting back. Spain dominated the match with over eighty percent of the ball, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a heavy defeat.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a well-executed set-piece move, and his compatriot secured the victory in the 64th minute with a spectacular free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Additional Results

• Turkey bounced back with a 6-1 thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was one of the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, another attacker, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or Israel. We are aware of what we have to do.”

Italy failed to qualify for the previous two global tournaments, on two occasions missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their most likely opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 hammering over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are leading on eighteen points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a game in hand on their competitors and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad stay in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the playoffs.

Italy host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically catch the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a playoff spot likely beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.