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Rúben Neves was the hero for Portugal with a dramatic winner in their World Cup qualifying encounter against the Republic of Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Overview

Neves found the net during injury time to secure a slender victory, several seasons after the star striker had scored twice late on to overcome a resilient Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought draw, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of pride with a gritty performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

However, the defeat puts them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of Group F games having yielded only a solitary draw. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a qualifying spot.

Major Moments

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had hit an Irish defender’s hand.
• Neves saved Portugal in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Results

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their chances of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over the Armenian side, moving above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided his team the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the points in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now seal their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for Albania with a neat volley in first-half stoppage time.

Latvia difficulties in their group continued as they were forced to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the visitors late on from time to earn them their first point of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Group E

The Spanish national team continued their impressive qualifying group run with a comfortable victory over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The result extended the title holders’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three games without conceding.

In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game defending deep. Spain controlled the match with more than 80% of the ball, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or generate a clear chance, with only goalkeeper their keeper preventing a rout.

Pino broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece move, and his compatriot wrapped up the victory in the second period with a stunning set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Additional Scores

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive thrashing over the Bulgarian side to stay close to the group leaders in their section. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was one of the scorers.
• The Italian squad boosted their hopes of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or our next opponents. We know our responsibilities.”

Italy missed out for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now appears their primary chance after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. 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 a trio of points clear of their next opponents. Estonia stay fourth on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the tournament, with the runners-up entering the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake Norway on points, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a qualifying place likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.