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Rúben Neves saved the day for the Portuguese side with a dramatic winning goal in their World Cup qualifying clash against Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had saved a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

Neves nodded in during injury time to claim a 1-0 victory, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to defeat a resilient Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a battling performance that erased some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat leaves them facing elimination, with their initial trio of Group F games having produced only a single point. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of claiming a playoff place.

Major Moments

• Kelleher seemed to have secured 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 arm.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Results

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their chances of advancing by securing their initial victory with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, climbing above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided his team the lead in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber secured the points in late added time.

England’s Group

Serbia suffered a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning England can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken volley in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side difficulties in Group K continued as they were forced to a two-all tie at home by Andorra. An Andorran player scored for the away side 12 minutes from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Spain’s Group

Spain continued their dominant qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in Elche. The win extended the European champions’ flawless run in qualifying, having notched 11 goals in three matches without conceding.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that passed most of the match sitting back. The home side controlled the match with over eighty percent of the ball, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball move, and his compatriot wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after Mamardashvili had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Additional Scores

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was one of the goal-getters.
• 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, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or our next opponents. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two global tournaments, on two occasions falling short in the playoffs, and the dreaded backdoor route now looks their primary chance after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are leading on eighteen points from six games. The Italians have twelve points with a match less played on their competitors and are a trio of points clear of their next opponents. Estonia remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team face their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch the group leaders on the table, the leaders’ far superior goal ratio means a playoff spot probably awaits for the Italian squad.