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Rúben Neves saved the day for the Portuguese side with a injury-time decisive strike in their World Cup clash against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

The Wolves midfielder found the net during injury time to claim a slender win, four years after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to defeat a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a gritty display that erased some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat leaves them in a difficult position, with their first three qualifying group games having yielded only a solitary draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of securing a playoff spot.

Key Incidents

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• Neves saved Portugal in the opening moments of stoppage time when he headed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Group Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of advancing by securing their initial victory with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the advantage in the first half and a teammate secured the victory in late added time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 defeat at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning England can now secure their passage from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the only goal for his team with a well-taken volley in first-half stoppage time.

The Latvian side difficulties in Group K persisted as they were held to a two-all 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 qualifiers and extend Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Group E

Spain continued their dominant qualifying group run with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The win extended the title holders’ flawless record in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad demonstrated their dominance against a Georgian team that passed most of the match sitting back. Spain controlled the match with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or create a clear chance, with only shot-stopper their keeper preventing a rout.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the first half from a well-executed dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the 64th minute with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive victory over the Bulgarian side to stay close to the group leaders in Group E. Real Madrid’s a young talent was one of the goal-getters.
• Italy boosted their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach said: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or our next opponents. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the previous two World Cups, twice falling short in the playoffs, and the dreaded backdoor route now appears their most likely chance after Norway’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in Group I. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six matches. The Italians have 12 points with a match less played on their competitors and are three points ahead of Israel. Estonia stay in fourth place on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the tournament, with the runners-up entering the playoffs.

Italy face Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place probably beckons for the Italian squad.