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Rúben Neves was the hero for the Portuguese side with a injury-time decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying clash against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Summary

Neves nodded in during added time to claim a slender win, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought draw, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a gritty performance that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat puts them in a difficult position, with their first three Group F games having produced only a single draw. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a playoff place.

Major Moments

• Kelleher seemed to have secured Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had hit an Irish defender’s hand.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of added time when he headed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of advancing by picking up their first win with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, moving above their rivals into second place behind Portugal in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the advantage in the first half and a teammate secured the victory in second-half stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now secure their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the only goal for Albania with a well-taken volley in first-half added time.

Latvia struggles in their group persisted as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the visitors late on from time to earn them their first point of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Group E

The Spanish national team continued their dominant Group E run with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after goals from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in Elche. The result continued the European champions’ perfect run in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their superiority against a Georgia team that spent the majority of the game 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 create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

Pino broke the deadlock in the first half from a well-executed dead-ball routine, and his compatriot secured the win in the second period with a stunning set-piece after the Georgian keeper had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Other Results

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was one of the goal-getters.
• Italy improved their hopes of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “We’re not thinking about Norway or our next opponents. We know what we have to do.”

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two global tournaments, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now looks their most likely chance after Norway’s 5-0 win 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 competitors and are a trio of points clear of their next opponents. The Estonian squad stay fourth on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team face their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on points, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.