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Rúben Neves saved the day 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 penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Summary

Neves found the net during added time to claim a 1-0 triumph, four years after the star striker had bagged a brace at the death to overcome a resilient Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a well-earned draw, but in the end suffered defeat, despite restoring a good deal of honor with a battling performance that erased some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

However, the loss leaves them facing elimination, with their initial trio of Group F games having yielded only a single point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of securing a playoff place.

Major Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have earned Ireland a draw when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s effort had struck Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he headed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Additional Group Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their chances of advancing by picking up their first win with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, moving above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided his team the lead in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber secured the points in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 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. An Albanian striker netted the only goal for Albania with a well-taken 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 scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team maintained their dominant Group E run with a comfortable win over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in Elche. The result extended the title holders’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having scored eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as a talented winger, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their dominance against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game sitting back. Spain dominated the encounter with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper their keeper preventing a rout.

Pino broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a well-executed set-piece move, and his compatriot secured the victory in the second period with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Additional Results

• Turkey bounced back with a 6-1 thrashing over the Bulgarian side to stay close to Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was among the goal-getters.
• Italy improved their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, another attacker, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or Israel. We know what we have to do.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the previous two global tournaments, on two occasions falling short in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now appears their most likely opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 win over Israel in Group I. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have 12 points with a match less played on their rivals and are three points clear of Israel. The Estonian squad stay fourth on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the playoffs.

Italy face Israel on Tuesday, where a win would secure second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot probably beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.