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Rúben Neves was the hero for the Portuguese side with a dramatic winning goal in their World Cup qualifying match against the Republic of Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Summary

Neves nodded in during added time to claim a slender victory, several seasons after Ronaldo had scored twice late on to overcome a resilient Ireland team.

The Irish squad appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a gritty display that erased some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

However, the defeat puts them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of Group F matches having yielded only a solitary point. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming a playoff place.

Major Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have secured Ireland a draw when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s effort had struck an Irish defender’s hand.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Results

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team enhanced their hopes of qualifying by securing their first win with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, moving above their rivals into second place behind Portugal in the standings. Daniel Lukacs provided Hungary the lead in the first half and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the victory in late stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 loss at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for Albania with a neat volley in late added time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K continued as they were held to a 2-2 draw at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera found the net for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their first point of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Group E

Spain maintained their dominant qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 victory over the Georgian side after goals from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in Elche. The win extended the European champions’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having scored eleven strikes in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that passed most of the match sitting back. The home side dominated the encounter with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper their keeper averting a rout.

Pino broke the deadlock in the first half from a expertly taken set-piece move, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the second period with a stunning set-piece after Mamardashvili had denied Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Other Results

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad boosted their prospects of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach said: “We’re not thinking about Norway or Israel. We know our responsibilities.”

Italy missed out for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their primary chance after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive hammering over Israel in Group I. Norway are leading on 18 points from six matches. The Italians have 12 points with a match less played 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 tournament, with the runners-up going into the qualifying stage.

Italy host Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still theoretically overtake Norway on points, the Norwegians’ much better goal difference means a playoff spot probably awaits for the Italian squad.