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Rúben Neves came to the rescue for Portugal with a last-gasp winner in their World Cup encounter against Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during added time to secure a narrow win, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to overcome a resilient Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to leave Lisbon with a well-earned point, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of pride with a battling display 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 Group F matches having produced only a solitary draw. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of claiming a qualifying place.

Key Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have earned Ireland a point when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s effort had struck Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the opening moments of stoppage time when he headed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary enhanced their hopes of advancing by securing their initial victory with a 2-0 victory over the Armenian side, climbing above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in the standings. Daniel Lukacs provided his team the advantage in the first half and a teammate secured the points in late added time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 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 netted the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken shot in first-half stoppage time.

Latvia difficulties in their group persisted as they were forced to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the away side 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team maintained their impressive qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 victory over the Georgian side after goals from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win continued the title holders’ perfect record in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad demonstrated their dominance against a Georgian team that spent most of the match defending deep. Spain controlled the encounter with more than 80% of the ball, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a rout.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after Mamardashvili had denied a Spanish player’s penalty.

Other Scores

• Turkey bounced back with a 6-1 victory over the Bulgarian side to stay close to the group leaders in their section. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was one of the goal-getters.
• Italy improved their prospects of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach commented: “We’re not thinking about Norway or Israel. We are aware of what we have to do.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their primary opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 hammering over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. Norway are top on eighteen points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a game in hand on their competitors and are three points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad remain in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the playoffs.

Italy host Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would secure second spot and, while they can still theoretically overtake the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place likely beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.