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Rúben Neves was the hero for Portugal with a injury-time winning goal in their World Cup qualifying match against Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

Neves nodded in during stoppage time to claim a 1-0 victory, several seasons after Ronaldo had scored twice at the death to overcome a resilient Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned point, but in the end suffered defeat, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a gritty performance that erased some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat puts them in a difficult position, with their first three Group F matches having yielded only a solitary draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a playoff spot.

Key Moments

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had hit an Irish defender’s arm.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the first minute of added time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Results

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team boosted their chances of qualifying by securing their first win with a 2-0 triumph over the Armenian side, moving above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in the standings. Daniel Lukacs gave Hungary the lead in the opening period and a teammate secured the victory in second-half added time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow defeat at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning England can now seal their qualification from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken volley in first-half added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in Group K continued as they were forced to a two-all draw at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera found the net for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Group E

Spain maintained their impressive Group E run with a comfortable victory over Georgia after strikes from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The result extended the European champions’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having scored eleven strikes in three matches without conceding.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. The home side controlled the encounter with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper their keeper averting a rout.

The scorer opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece routine, and his compatriot wrapped up the win in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Other Scores

• Turkey bounced back with a comprehensive thrashing over Bulgaria to stay close to Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was among the goal-getters.
• Italy boosted their prospects of at least reaching the knockout stage with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or our next opponents. We know what we have to do.”

Italy failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their primary opportunity after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 win over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are leading on eighteen points from six games. The Italians have twelve points with a match less played on their rivals and are three points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the runners-up entering the playoffs.

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