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Rúben Neves saved the day for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp winning goal in their World Cup qualifying encounter against Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had saved a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Overview

Neves found the net during injury time to secure a slender victory, several seasons after Ronaldo had bagged a brace at the death to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a well-earned point, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite restoring a significant amount of honor with a gritty display that erased some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

However, the loss leaves them facing elimination, with their initial trio of Group F matches having yielded only a single point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming a playoff spot.

Major Incidents

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s effort had struck Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• 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 Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their chances of qualifying by securing their first win with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, climbing above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the lead in the first half and a teammate made sure of the points in second-half added time.

Group K

Serbia slipped to a narrow loss at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken volley in late added time.

Latvia difficulties in Group K persisted as they were forced to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Group E

Spain continued their dominant qualifying group campaign with a comfortable win over the Georgian side after goals from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The win continued the European champions’ flawless run in the qualifiers, having scored eleven strikes in three matches without letting in a goal.

Despite the unavailability of players such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game defending deep. The home side dominated the encounter with over eighty percent of the ball, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or create a clear chance, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a heavy defeat.

Pino opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a well-executed set-piece move, and his compatriot secured the victory in the second period with a stunning free kick after Mamardashvili had saved Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Other Results

• Turkey bounced back with a comprehensive thrashing over Bulgaria to stay close to Spain in their section. The Spanish club’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable win away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “We’re not thinking about Norway or Israel. We know what we have to do.”

Italy missed out for the last two World Cups, twice missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now looks their most likely opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 hammering over Israel in their qualifying group. Norway are top on 18 points from six games. The Italians have twelve points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points clear of their next opponents. Estonia stay fourth on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

Italy face Israel on Tuesday, where a win would secure second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch the group leaders on points, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a playoff spot likely beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.