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Rúben Neves was the hero for Portugal with a injury-time decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying encounter against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Overview

Neves headed home during stoppage time to claim a narrow triumph, several seasons after Ronaldo 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 draw, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of honor with a gritty display that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them facing elimination, with their initial trio of Group F games having yielded only a single point. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of claiming a qualifying spot.

Major Moments

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have earned Ireland a point when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s effort had struck Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the first minute of added time when he directed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Qualifying Results

Portugal’s Group

Hungary enhanced their hopes of qualifying by securing their initial victory with a 2-0 victory over the Armenian side, climbing above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the victory in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 defeat at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for his team with a neat shot in late added time.

Latvia difficulties in their group continued as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera scored for the visitors late on from time to earn them their first point of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team maintained their dominant qualifying group run with a comfortable win over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The result extended the title holders’ perfect record in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgia team that spent the majority of the game sitting back. Spain 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 preventing a rout.

Pino opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after Mamardashvili had denied a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive victory over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. Real Madrid’s a young talent was one of the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad boosted their prospects of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from a forward, another attacker, and a third scorer.

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

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the previous two World Cups, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the feared playoff path now looks their most likely chance after Norway’s comprehensive hammering over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. Norway are leading on 18 points from six games. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their competitors and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad stay fourth on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the tournament, with the runners-up entering the playoffs.

The Italian national team host Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on the table, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a playoff spot probably beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.