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Rúben Neves saved the day for Portugal with a injury-time winning goal in their World Cup clash against the Republic of Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Summary

The Wolves midfielder headed home during added time to claim a slender win, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to overcome a resilient Ireland team.

The Irish squad appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but in the end suffered defeat, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a gritty performance that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss puts them facing elimination, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having produced only a solitary point. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of claiming a qualifying spot.

Key Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have earned Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s shot had hit an Irish defender’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of added time when he directed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Other Group Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their hopes of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, moving above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in the standings. Daniel Lukacs provided Hungary the lead in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the victory in late stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 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 only goal for Albania with a neat shot in late stoppage time.

Latvia struggles in Group K persisted as they were held to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera scored for the away side late on from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

Spain continued their dominant Group E run with a 2-0 win over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The win continued the European champions’ perfect record in qualifying, having scored 11 goals in three games without letting in a goal.

Despite the unavailability of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that passed the majority of the game defending deep. Spain dominated 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 shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a well-executed dead-ball routine, and his compatriot secured the win in the second period with a spectacular free kick after Mamardashvili had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Additional Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a 6-1 victory over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• Italy boosted their prospects of at least reaching the knockout stage with a 3-1 victory away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from a forward, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach said: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or our next opponents. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the previous two World Cups, on two occasions missing out in the playoffs, and the feared playoff path now looks their most likely chance after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 hammering over Israel in their qualifying group. Norway are leading on 18 points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a game in hand on their competitors and are three points clear of Israel. The Estonian squad stay fourth on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the World Cup, with the runners-up going into the playoffs.

The Italian national team host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically overtake Norway on the table, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place likely beckons for the Italian squad.