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Rúben Neves was the hero for the Portuguese side with a dramatic winning goal in their World Cup encounter against the Republic of Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Summary

The Wolves midfielder found the net during added time to secure a 1-0 triumph, four years after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a well-earned draw, but in the end left empty-handed, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a gritty display that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

However, the defeat puts them in a difficult position, with their first three Group F games having yielded only a single point. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of claiming a playoff place.

Major Incidents

• Kelleher seemed to have earned Ireland a point when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s effort had hit Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Qualifying Results

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team boosted their chances of advancing by securing their initial victory with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, moving above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided his team the advantage in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the points in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team suffered a narrow loss at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now secure their qualification from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the only goal for his team with a neat volley in first-half added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in Group K persisted as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by Andorra. An Andorran player found the net for the away side late on from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Group E

Spain maintained their impressive Group E run with a 2-0 victory over Georgia after goals from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in Elche. The win extended the title holders’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having notched 11 goals in three games without letting in a goal.

Despite the absence of players such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. The home side dominated the encounter with more than 80% of the ball, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

Pino opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a expertly taken dead-ball move, and his compatriot secured the victory in the 64th minute with a spectacular free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Scores

• Turkey bounced back with a 6-1 thrashing over the Bulgarian side to stay close to the group leaders in Group E. Real Madrid’s a young talent was one of the scorers.
• Italy boosted their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach said: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or Israel. We are aware of what we have to do.”

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two global tournaments, twice falling short in the playoffs, and the feared playoff path now looks their primary chance after Norway’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in Group I. Norway are leading on 18 points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of Israel. Estonia remain fourth on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the qualifying stage.

Italy face Israel on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still theoretically overtake Norway on the table, the leaders’ far superior goal ratio means a playoff spot probably beckons for the Italian squad.