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Rúben Neves was the hero for the Portuguese side with a injury-time decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying match against Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a penalty from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

Neves headed home during injury time to snatch a slender win, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace at the death to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned point, but in the end suffered defeat, despite restoring a good deal of honor with a battling performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

However, the defeat leaves them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of qualifying group matches having produced only a single draw. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of claiming a qualifying spot.

Major Moments

• Kelleher seemed to have secured Ireland a point when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s effort had struck an Irish defender’s arm.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the opening moments of added time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Group Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their chances of qualifying by picking up their first win with a two-goal victory over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in the standings. Daniel Lukacs provided Hungary the lead in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the points in second-half stoppage time.

Group K

Serbia suffered a 1-0 loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken volley in late added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in Group K persisted as they were held to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera scored for the away side late on from time to claim them their first point of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Spain’s Group

Spain maintained their impressive qualifying group run with a comfortable win over Georgia after strikes from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The result continued the European champions’ flawless run in the qualifiers, having scored eleven strikes in three matches without letting in a goal.

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 showcased their dominance against a Georgia team that spent most of the match sitting back. Spain dominated the match with more than 80% possession, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a well-executed dead-ball move, and his compatriot wrapped up the victory in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Additional Scores

• Turkey bounced back with a 6-1 thrashing over Bulgaria to stay close to Spain in Group E. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• Italy improved their prospects of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from a forward, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or Israel. We are aware of what we have to do.”

Italy missed out for the last two global tournaments, twice missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now appears their most likely opportunity after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 hammering over the Israeli side in Group I. The Norwegians are top on eighteen points from six matches. Italy have 12 points with a game in hand on their competitors and are three points ahead of Israel. Estonia remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the runners-up going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would secure second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on points, the Norwegians’ far superior goal ratio means a qualifying place probably awaits for the Italian squad.