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Rúben Neves was the hero for Portugal with a injury-time decisive strike in their World Cup encounter against Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Summary

Neves headed home during added time to claim a 1-0 triumph, several seasons after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to defeat a resilient Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but in the end left empty-handed, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a battling performance that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

However, the defeat puts them staring down the barrel, with their first three Group F games having yielded only a solitary point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming a playoff place.

Key Moments

• Kelleher looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s shot had hit Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of stoppage time when he headed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Other Group Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their chances of advancing by securing their first win with a 2-0 victory over the Armenian side, climbing above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the victory in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

Serbia suffered a narrow defeat at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning England can now seal their qualification from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the decisive strike for Albania with a neat shot in first-half stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in their group continued as they were held to a two-all tie at home by Andorra. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their first point of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

Spain continued their impressive Group E run with a comfortable victory over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The win continued the European champions’ perfect record in the qualifiers, having scored eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

Despite the absence of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. The home side controlled the encounter with over eighty percent of the ball, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or create a clear chance, with only shot-stopper their keeper preventing a rout.

Pino opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a well-executed set-piece move, and his compatriot wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning set-piece after Mamardashvili had denied a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Additional Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 victory over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was one of the scorers.
• Italy improved their hopes of at least reaching the knockout stage with a 3-1 victory away to Estonia, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

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

Italy missed out for the last two World Cups, on two occasions missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded playoff path now appears their most likely opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 hammering over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are leading on 18 points from six games. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their competitors and are three points ahead of their next opponents. Estonia remain in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the tournament, with the runners-up entering the qualifying stage.

Italy face their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on points, the Norwegians’ far superior goal ratio means a playoff spot likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.