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Rúben Neves saved the day for Portugal with a last-gasp winner in their World Cup encounter against Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had denied a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

The Wolves midfielder headed home during stoppage time to secure a 1-0 triumph, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace at the death to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to leave Lisbon with a well-earned point, but in the end suffered defeat, despite restoring a significant amount of pride with a gritty performance that erased some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat leaves them facing elimination, with their first three qualifying group matches having produced only a solitary draw. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of securing a qualifying place.

Major Incidents

• Kelleher looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s effort had struck Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Group Results

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of qualifying by securing their first win with a two-goal victory over Armenia, climbing above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the lead in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber secured the victory in second-half added time.

England’s Group

Serbia slipped to a 1-0 defeat at home to Albania, with the result meaning England can now secure their qualification from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for Albania with a neat volley in late added time.

Latvia struggles in their group continued as they were forced to a two-all tie 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 qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Group E

The Spanish national team continued their impressive Group E campaign with a 2-0 victory over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The result extended the European champions’ flawless run in the qualifiers, having scored eleven strikes in three matches without conceding.

Despite the absence of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their superiority against a Georgia team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. The home side controlled the encounter with over eighty percent of the ball, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper their keeper preventing a heavy defeat.

Pino broke the deadlock in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball move, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the win in the 64th minute with a spectacular free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Other Scores

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over Bulgaria to stay close to Spain in their section. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was one of the scorers.
• Italy improved their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to Estonia, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach commented: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or Israel. We know what we have to do.”

The Azzurri missed out for the last two World Cups, twice missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now appears their primary chance after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive hammering over Israel in Group I. Norway are top on eighteen points from six games. Italy have twelve points with a match less played on their competitors and are three points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad stay in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a win would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically overtake the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place likely beckons for the Italian squad.