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Rúben Neves came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp winner in their World Cup qualifying match against the Republic of Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a penalty from the veteran forward.

Match Overview

Neves found the net during added time to secure a 1-0 victory, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace at the death to overcome a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but in the end suffered defeat, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a gritty performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

However, the defeat puts them facing elimination, with their initial trio of Group F games having yielded only a solitary point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of claiming a qualifying place.

Major Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of stoppage time when he headed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Qualifying Results

Portugal’s Group

Hungary enhanced their chances of qualifying by picking up their first win with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, climbing above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the lead in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the points in late stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now secure their qualification from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the decisive strike for Albania with a neat volley in late added time.

Latvia struggles in their group continued as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the away side late on from time to earn them their first point of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Group E

The Spanish national team continued their impressive qualifying group campaign with a comfortable win over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win continued the European champions’ flawless record in qualifying, having notched 11 goals in three matches without conceding.

Despite the absence of players such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their superiority against a Georgia team that spent most of the match sitting back. The home side dominated the match with more than 80% 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 rout.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball move, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the second period with a stunning set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Other Results

• Turkey bounced back with a comprehensive victory over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was one of the goal-getters.
• Italy improved their prospects of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable win away to Estonia, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach commented: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or our next opponents. We know what we have to do.”

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two World Cups, on two occasions missing out in the playoffs, and the feared backdoor route now looks their most likely opportunity after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in Group I. The Norwegians are leading on eighteen points from six matches. Italy have 12 points with a match less played on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of Israel. The Estonian squad stay in fourth place on three points. The group winners 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 the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on the table, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.