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Rúben Neves saved the day for the Portuguese side with a injury-time winning goal in their World Cup match against Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Summary

Neves found the net during added time to secure a narrow win, several seasons after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to overcome a resilient Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a battling display that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat puts them staring down the barrel, with their first three qualifying group games having yielded only a single point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of claiming a playoff place.

Key Moments

• Kelleher seemed to have secured Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of stoppage time when he headed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary enhanced their chances of advancing by securing their first win with a 2-0 victory over the Armenian side, moving above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided his team the advantage in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the points in late added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the only goal for Albania with a neat volley in late added time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K continued as they were held to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera found the net for the away side 12 minutes 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 continued their dominant qualifying group run with a 2-0 win over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in Elche. The result continued the title holders’ flawless record in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three matches without conceding.

Despite the unavailability of players 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 passed the majority of the game defending deep. The home side dominated the encounter with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a well-executed set-piece routine, and Oyarzabal secured the victory in the second period with a spectacular free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Other Scores

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was among the goal-getters.
• Italy improved their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a comfortable win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, another attacker, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or our next opponents. We know what we have to do.”

Italy missed out for the last two World Cups, on two occasions missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded backdoor route now looks their primary chance after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 win over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six games. Italy have twelve points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points clear of Israel. Estonia stay in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, with the runners-up going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would secure second spot and, while they can still theoretically overtake the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a qualifying place probably beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.