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Rúben Neves was the hero for Portugal with a last-gasp winning goal in their World Cup qualifying match against Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during injury time to snatch a slender victory, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace at the death to defeat a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought point, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite restoring a significant amount of honor with a gritty performance that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss puts them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having yielded only a solitary draw. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a playoff place.

Key Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly 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 first minute of added time when he directed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Additional Group Outcomes

Group F

Hungary boosted their hopes of advancing by picking up their first win with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, moving above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in the standings. Daniel Lukacs provided Hungary the lead in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber secured the victory in late added time.

England’s Group

Serbia slipped to a narrow loss at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken volley in late added time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K continued as they were forced to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player found the net for the away side 12 minutes from time to claim them their first point of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Group E

Spain continued their impressive Group E campaign with a comfortable victory over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in Elche. The win continued the European champions’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three matches without letting in a goal.

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 showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game defending deep. Spain dominated the match with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, 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 stunning set-piece after the Georgian keeper had saved a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Other Scores

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive victory over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from a forward, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach said: “We’re not thinking about Norway or Israel. We know what we have to do.”

Italy missed out for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their primary opportunity after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 win over Israel in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are leading on 18 points from six matches. Italy have twelve points with a match less played on their rivals and are three points clear of their next opponents. Estonia remain fourth on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the tournament, with the runners-up entering the qualifying stage.

Italy host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a playoff spot likely awaits for the Italian squad.