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Rúben Neves saved the day for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp winning goal in their World Cup match against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had denied a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Summary

The Wolves midfielder found the net during injury time to claim a slender victory, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to overcome a resilient Ireland team.

The Irish squad appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a gritty performance that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them facing elimination, with their first three qualifying group matches having produced only a single point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of claiming a playoff spot.

Key Moments

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have earned Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s shot had struck an Irish defender’s arm.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of added time when he headed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Other Qualifying Results

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their chances of advancing by securing their first win with a two-goal victory over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs gave Hungary the lead in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the points in second-half stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 defeat at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now seal their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken volley in first-half stoppage time.

Latvia struggles in Group K continued as they were held to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera found the net for the visitors late on from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

Spain continued their dominant qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in Elche. The win extended the title holders’ flawless run in the qualifiers, having notched 11 goals in three games without conceding.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad demonstrated their superiority against a Georgia team that spent the majority of the game defending deep. The home side controlled the match with over eighty percent possession, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

Pino opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a well-executed set-piece move, and his compatriot wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• Turkey bounced back with a 6-1 victory over the Bulgarian side to stay close to Spain in Group E. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was one of the scorers.
• Italy boosted their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, another attacker, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or our next opponents. We know what we have to do.”

Italy missed out for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their primary opportunity after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive hammering over the Israeli side in Group I. The Norwegians are leading on 18 points from six games. Italy have twelve points with a game in hand on their competitors and are three points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the qualifying stage.

Italy face Israel on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically overtake Norway on points, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.