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Rúben Neves was the hero for the Portuguese side with a dramatic winning goal in their World Cup qualifying match against Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had saved a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Overview

The Wolves midfielder headed home during added time to snatch a slender victory, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to overcome a resilient Ireland team.

The Irish squad looked set to leave Lisbon with a well-earned point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a battling performance that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

However, the defeat leaves them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of Group F matches having yielded only a single point. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of claiming a playoff place.

Key Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s shot had hit an Irish defender’s hand.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of added time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Other Qualifying Results

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their chances of advancing by securing their first win with a 2-0 victory over the Armenian side, climbing above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. 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 1-0 loss at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their qualification from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the only goal for his team with a well-taken volley in first-half added time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K continued as they were held to a 2-2 draw at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the visitors late on from time to claim them their first point of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Group E

Spain continued their impressive Group E run with a comfortable victory over Georgia after strikes from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The result extended the title holders’ flawless record in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

In spite of the absence of players such as a talented winger, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. Spain controlled the encounter with more than 80% of the ball, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or create a clear chance, with only goalkeeper their keeper preventing a rout.

Pino opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a well-executed set-piece routine, and his compatriot wrapped up the victory in the second period with a spectacular free kick after Mamardashvili had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Additional Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 victory over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was one of the scorers.
• The Italian squad boosted their prospects 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 Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or our next opponents. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their primary opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive win over Israel in their qualifying group. Norway are top on eighteen points from six games. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points ahead of their next opponents. Estonia stay fourth on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically overtake Norway on points, the Norwegians’ far superior goal ratio means a qualifying place probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.