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Rúben Neves was the hero for the Portuguese side with a injury-time decisive strike in their World Cup encounter against Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had saved a penalty from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

The Wolves midfielder found the net during added time to claim a narrow victory, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to overcome a stubborn Ireland team.

The Irish squad looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but in the end suffered defeat, despite regaining a significant amount of honor with a gritty performance that erased some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat leaves them facing elimination, with their initial trio of Group F games having yielded only a solitary draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a playoff place.

Key Incidents

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s shot had struck an Irish defender’s hand.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he headed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Results

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of qualifying by securing their first win with a 2-0 triumph over the Armenian side, climbing above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided his team the advantage in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the points in late stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning England can now secure their qualification from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken shot in first-half added time.

Latvia difficulties in their group persisted as they were held to a two-all tie at home by Andorra. An Andorran player found the net for the away side 12 minutes from time to earn them their first point of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Group E

The Spanish national team continued their impressive qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after strikes from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The result extended the European champions’ perfect record in the qualifiers, having notched eleven strikes in three matches without conceding.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their dominance against a Georgia team that spent the majority of the game defending deep. The home side controlled the match with over eighty percent of the ball, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or create a clear chance, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a heavy defeat.

Pino opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball move, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Other Scores

• Turkey bounced back with a 6-1 thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was one of the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a comfortable win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, another attacker, and a third scorer.

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

Italy failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now looks their most likely chance after Norway’s comprehensive hammering over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a match less played on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of their next opponents. The Estonian squad remain fourth on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

Italy face their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.