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Rúben Neves saved the day for Portugal with a last-gasp winning goal in their World Cup clash against Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Summary

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during added time to secure a slender win, four years after Ronaldo had scored twice late on to defeat a stubborn Ireland team.

The Irish squad looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite restoring a good deal of honor with a battling display that erased some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

However, the defeat puts them facing elimination, with their first three Group F matches having produced only a solitary draw. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of securing a playoff spot.

Key Moments

• Kelleher looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s shot had struck an Irish defender’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he headed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Other Qualifying Results

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their hopes of advancing by securing their initial victory with a 2-0 victory over the Armenian side, moving above their rivals into second place behind Portugal in the standings. Daniel Lukacs gave Hungary the advantage in the opening period and a teammate secured the points in second-half added time.

Group K

Serbia slipped to a narrow defeat at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now secure their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken volley in first-half stoppage time.

Latvia difficulties in Group K continued as they were held to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors late on from time to claim them their first point of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Group E

Spain continued their impressive qualifying group run with a 2-0 victory over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in Elche. The win extended the title holders’ perfect run in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of 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 demonstrated their dominance against a Georgian team that spent most of the match sitting back. The home side dominated the match with more than 80% of the ball, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the first half from a well-executed dead-ball move, and his compatriot secured the victory in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Other Results

• Turkey bounced back with a comprehensive victory over Bulgaria to stay close to Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “We’re not thinking about Norway or Israel. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the previous two World Cups, on two occasions missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now appears their most likely opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are leading on 18 points from six matches. The Italians have twelve points with a match less played on their rivals and are three points ahead of Israel. Estonia stay in fourth place on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the runners-up going into the playoffs.

Italy face their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.