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Rúben Neves came to the rescue for Portugal with a last-gasp winner in their World Cup match against Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

Neves nodded in during stoppage time to claim a 1-0 triumph, several seasons after the star striker had scored twice at the death to defeat a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought point, but in the end suffered defeat, despite restoring a significant amount of honor with a gritty display that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss puts them facing elimination, with their first three qualifying group matches having yielded only a single draw. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of claiming a qualifying spot.

Key Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a point when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the first minute of added time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

Hungary enhanced their chances of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided his team the lead in the first half and a teammate made sure of the victory in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

Serbia suffered a narrow loss at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now secure their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the only goal for his team with a neat shot in late added time.

Latvia difficulties in Group K continued as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by Andorra. An Andorran player scored for the away side late on from time to earn them their first point of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their impressive Group E campaign with a comfortable win over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win continued the title holders’ perfect record in qualifying, having scored eleven strikes in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of the absence of players such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their dominance against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game sitting back. The home side dominated the match with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper their keeper preventing a rout.

Pino broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece move, and his compatriot wrapped up the win in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Additional Scores

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a comprehensive thrashing over the Bulgarian side to stay close to the group leaders in their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was one of the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach commented: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or our next opponents. We know our responsibilities.”

Italy missed out for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now looks their most likely chance after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive hammering over Israel in Group I. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a match less played on their competitors and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. Estonia stay fourth on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the playoffs.

The Italian national team host their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically overtake Norway on the table, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place likely awaits for the Italian squad.