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

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder found the net during added time to snatch a narrow victory, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace at the death to defeat a resilient Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought draw, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of honor with a gritty performance that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

However, the loss puts them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of qualifying group matches having yielded only a single draw. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of claiming a qualifying place.

Key Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the first minute of added time when he headed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Other Group Results

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of advancing by securing their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the points in late added time.

England’s Group

Serbia suffered a narrow loss at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now secure their passage from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken shot in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side difficulties in their group continued as they were held to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera scored for the away side 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Spain’s Group

Spain maintained their dominant qualifying group run with a comfortable win over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The result continued the European champions’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having scored eleven strikes in three matches without letting in a goal.

Despite the unavailability of players such as a talented winger, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their superiority against a Georgia team that spent most of the match sitting back. The home side controlled the match with more than 80% possession, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a well-executed set-piece move, and his compatriot wrapped up the win in the 64th minute with a spectacular free kick after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Additional Scores

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a comprehensive thrashing over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on the group leaders in their section. The Spanish club’s a young talent was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad boosted their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach commented: “We’re not thinking about Norway or our next opponents. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two global tournaments, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded backdoor route now appears their most likely opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive hammering over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are leading on 18 points from six games. The Italians have twelve points with a match less played on their rivals and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad stay in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the runners-up entering the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a win would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch the group leaders on the table, the leaders’ far superior goal difference means a qualifying place likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.