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Rúben Neves came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying encounter against Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Summary

The Wolves midfielder headed home during added time to secure a narrow victory, four years after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to overcome a resilient Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of honor with a battling display that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat puts them facing elimination, with their initial trio of qualifying group matches having yielded only a solitary point. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of claiming a qualifying spot.

Major Incidents

• Kelleher seemed to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s effort had struck Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• Neves saved Portugal in the opening moments of added time when he headed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Other Group Results

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the lead in the first half and a teammate secured the victory in late added time.

Group K

Serbia suffered a narrow defeat at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken shot in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K persisted as they were forced to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors late on 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 maintained their impressive qualifying group run with a comfortable win over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in Elche. The result extended the European champions’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having scored eleven strikes in three matches without conceding.

In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their dominance against a Georgian team that passed most of the match defending deep. The home side dominated the match with more than 80% possession, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper their keeper averting a rout.

Pino broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece routine, and his compatriot wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Additional Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach commented: “We’re not thinking about Norway or Israel. We are aware of what we have to do.”

Italy missed out for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions missing out in the playoffs, and the feared backdoor route now looks their primary chance after Norway’s 5-0 hammering over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are leading on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have 12 points with a match less played on their rivals and are a trio of points ahead of their next opponents. Estonia remain fourth on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides going into the qualifying stage.

Italy host their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on points, the Norwegians’ much better goal difference means a playoff spot likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.