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Rúben Neves was the hero for the Portuguese side with a injury-time winning goal in their World Cup encounter against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Summary

The Wolves midfielder headed home during injury time to claim a slender win, several seasons after Ronaldo had bagged a brace at the death to overcome a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a well-earned draw, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a battling performance that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

However, the loss leaves them staring down the barrel, with their first three Group F matches having yielded only a solitary draw. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of securing a qualifying place.

Major Incidents

• Kelleher seemed to have earned Ireland a point when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of added time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Other Group Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team enhanced their chances of qualifying by securing their first win with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, moving above their rivals into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the lead in the first half and a teammate made sure of the points in second-half added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England 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 neat shot in late added time.

Latvia struggles in Group K continued as they were forced to a 2-2 draw at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Group E

Spain maintained their dominant qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after goals from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The result continued the title holders’ perfect record in the qualifiers, having scored eleven strikes in three matches without conceding.

Despite the unavailability of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game defending deep. Spain dominated the encounter with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper their keeper preventing a rout.

Pino broke the deadlock in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball move, and his compatriot secured the victory in the second period with a spectacular free kick after Mamardashvili had denied a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a 6-1 thrashing over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in Group E. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach said: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or Israel. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two global tournaments, twice missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now looks their most likely chance after Norway’s 5-0 hammering over the Israeli side in Group I. The Norwegians are leading on eighteen points from six games. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of Israel. Estonia remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the runners-up entering the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team face their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically overtake Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place likely beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.