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Rúben Neves was the hero for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp winning goal in their World Cup qualifying match against Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

Neves headed home during added time to secure a narrow win, several seasons after Ronaldo had scored twice late on to overcome a resilient Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned point, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite restoring a good deal of honor with a battling display that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

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

Major Moments

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a point when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s shot had hit Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of stoppage time when he headed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Other Group Results

Portugal’s Group

Hungary enhanced their hopes of advancing by securing their first win with a 2-0 triumph over the Armenian side, moving above their rivals into second place behind Portugal in Group F. Daniel Lukacs gave his team the lead in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the points in second-half added time.

England’s Group

Serbia suffered a narrow 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 netted the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken volley in late added time.

Latvia difficulties in their group persisted as they were forced to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera found the net for the away side 12 minutes from time to earn them their first point of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Group E

Spain continued their impressive qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 victory over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The win extended the European champions’ flawless run in the qualifiers, having notched eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

Despite the absence of players such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that spent most of the match defending deep. The home side dominated the encounter with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

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

Other Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a comprehensive thrashing over the Bulgarian side to stay close to the group leaders in their section. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was among the scorers.
• Italy boosted their prospects of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach commented: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or our next opponents. We know what we have to do.”

Italy failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions falling short in the playoffs, and the dreaded backdoor route now appears their most likely chance after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in Group I. The Norwegians are leading on eighteen points from six games. Italy have twelve points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad stay fourth on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the tournament, with the second-placed sides going into the qualifying stage.

Italy host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on the table, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.