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Rúben Neves was the hero for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp decisive strike in their World Cup clash against the Republic of Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Overview

Neves found the net during stoppage time to snatch a narrow triumph, four years after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought draw, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite regaining a significant amount of honor with a gritty display that erased some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

However, the defeat puts them in a difficult position, with their first three qualifying group matches having produced only a solitary point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of claiming a playoff place.

Key Moments

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have earned Ireland a point when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s effort had struck an Irish defender’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of added time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Group Results

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their hopes of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over the Armenian side, moving above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind Portugal 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 1-0 defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their qualification from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the only goal for his team with a well-taken volley in first-half added time.

Latvia difficulties in their group continued as they were held to a 2-2 draw at home by Andorra. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their first point of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Spain’s Group

Spain continued their impressive qualifying group run with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win continued the European champions’ perfect run in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the absence of players such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian 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 one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper their keeper averting a rout.

Pino broke the deadlock in the first half from a expertly taken set-piece routine, and his compatriot secured the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Additional Scores

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a 6-1 thrashing over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was one of the scorers.
• Italy improved their prospects of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

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

The Azzurri missed out for the last two World Cups, on two occasions falling short in the playoffs, and the feared backdoor route now appears their most likely opportunity after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 hammering over Israel in their qualifying group. Norway are top on 18 points from six games. Italy have twelve points with a match less played on their competitors and are a trio of points clear of Israel. Estonia remain in fourth place on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the tournament, with the runners-up entering the playoffs.

Italy host Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still theoretically overtake Norway on the table, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.