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Rúben Neves saved the day for the Portuguese side with a dramatic decisive strike in their World Cup encounter against Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Overview

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during added time to secure a 1-0 win, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace at the death to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a well-earned draw, but in the end suffered defeat, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a gritty performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

However, the defeat puts them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of Group F games having yielded only a solitary point. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of securing a qualifying place.

Major Incidents

• Kelleher seemed to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s shot had hit an Irish defender’s hand.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of stoppage time when he directed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Results

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of advancing by securing their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, moving above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided his team the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the victory in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now secure their passage from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the only goal for Albania with a neat volley in first-half added time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K persisted as they were held to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the visitors late on from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Group E

Spain continued their dominant Group E run with a comfortable victory over Georgia after strikes from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in Elche. The win extended the title holders’ 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, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their superiority against a Georgia team that spent most of the match sitting back. The home side controlled the encounter with more than 80% of the ball, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or create a clear chance, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

Pino opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball move, and Oyarzabal secured the victory in the 64th minute with a spectacular set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Additional Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive victory over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in their section. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was among the goal-getters.
• Italy improved their hopes of at least reaching the knockout stage with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or our next opponents. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri missed out for the last two global tournaments, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now appears their most likely chance after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive hammering over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are leading on 18 points from six matches. Italy have twelve points with a match less played on their competitors and are three points clear of Israel. Estonia stay fourth on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the qualifying stage.

Italy host Israel on Tuesday, where a win would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake Norway on points, the Norwegians’ far superior goal ratio means a playoff spot likely awaits for the Italian squad.