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Rúben Neves came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a injury-time decisive strike in their World Cup clash against the Republic of Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a penalty from the veteran forward.

Match Overview

The Wolves midfielder headed home during stoppage time to snatch a narrow win, four years after Ronaldo had scored twice at the death to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought draw, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a battling display that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat leaves them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of Group F games having produced only a solitary point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a qualifying place.

Major Incidents

• Kelleher seemed to have secured Ireland a point when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s effort had struck Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of added time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Group Outcomes

Group F

Hungary enhanced their hopes of qualifying by picking up their first win with a 2-0 victory over the Armenian side, moving above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave his team the lead in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the points in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

Serbia slipped to a narrow loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now secure their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken volley in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in their group persisted as they were forced to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera found the net for the away side 12 minutes from time to earn them their first point of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

Spain continued their dominant Group E run with a 2-0 victory over the Georgian side after goals from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The result continued the European champions’ perfect run in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three matches without conceding.

In spite of the absence of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their dominance against a Georgian team that passed the majority of the game defending deep. The home side dominated the encounter with over eighty percent of the ball, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or create a clear chance, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a rout.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the first half from a expertly taken set-piece move, and Oyarzabal secured the victory in the 64th minute with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Other Results

• Turkey bounced back with a comprehensive victory over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• Italy improved their prospects of at least making the knockout stage with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

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

Italy failed to qualify for the previous two global tournaments, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the feared playoff path now looks their most likely opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive hammering over Israel in their qualifying group. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have twelve points with a match less played on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of Israel. The Estonian squad stay in fourth place on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place likely beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.