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Rúben Neves was the hero for the Portuguese side with a dramatic winning goal in their World Cup clash against the Republic of Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

Neves headed home during injury time to claim a slender triumph, several seasons after Ronaldo had bagged a brace at the death to defeat a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought point, but in the end suffered defeat, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a battling performance that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them staring down the barrel, with their first three qualifying group matches having produced only a solitary point. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of securing a qualifying spot.

Major Incidents

• Kelleher seemed to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Group Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team boosted their chances of qualifying by picking up their first win with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, climbing above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the lead in the first half and Zsombor Gruber secured the points in late added time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team suffered a narrow defeat at home to Albania, with the result meaning England can now seal their qualification from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the decisive strike for his team with a neat volley in first-half added time.

Latvia difficulties in Group K persisted as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by Andorra. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Group E

Spain maintained their dominant qualifying group run with a comfortable victory over the Georgian side after strikes from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The result extended the European champions’ flawless record in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three matches without conceding.

Despite the absence of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgia team that spent most of the match sitting back. The home side dominated the encounter with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or create a clear chance, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a heavy defeat.

Pino broke the deadlock in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball move, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Other Scores

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a 6-1 thrashing over Bulgaria to stay close to Spain in their section. The Spanish club’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad boosted their hopes of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to Estonia, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach 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 previous two World Cups, on two occasions missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now appears their most likely opportunity after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 hammering over the Israeli side in Group I. Norway are leading on 18 points from six matches. Italy have twelve points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points clear of Israel. The Estonian squad remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

Italy face Israel on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on the table, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place likely beckons for the Italian squad.