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Rúben Neves saved the day for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying encounter against Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had saved a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Summary

Neves headed home during stoppage time to claim a 1-0 win, four years after Ronaldo had scored twice late on to overcome a resilient Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite regaining a good deal of honor with a battling performance that erased some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

However, the defeat leaves them facing elimination, with their first three Group F games having yielded only a solitary draw. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming a qualifying spot.

Major Incidents

• Kelleher looked to have earned 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 hand.
• Neves saved Portugal in the opening moments of stoppage time when he headed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Other Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their hopes of qualifying by picking up their first win with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, climbing above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in the standings. Daniel Lukacs provided his team the advantage in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber secured the victory in late added time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team suffered a narrow loss at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the only goal for Albania with a well-taken shot in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in their group continued as they were forced to a 2-2 tie at home by Andorra. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors late on from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Group E

Spain maintained their impressive Group E run with a comfortable victory over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The result continued the title holders’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having notched eleven strikes in three matches without conceding.

Despite the unavailability of key figures such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that passed the majority of the game defending deep. Spain dominated the match with over eighty percent of the ball, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a rout.

Pino opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken set-piece routine, and Oyarzabal secured the victory in the second period with a stunning set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Additional Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was among the scorers.
• Italy improved their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable win away to Estonia, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or our next opponents. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri missed out for the last two World Cups, on two occasions missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now appears their primary chance after Norway’s comprehensive hammering over Israel in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six games. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad stay in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would secure second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch the group leaders on points, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.