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Rúben Neves saved the day for Portugal with a injury-time winner in their World Cup clash against Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a penalty from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

The Wolves midfielder found the net during injury time to secure a narrow triumph, several seasons after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to defeat a stubborn Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a gritty display that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

However, the defeat leaves them staring down the barrel, with their first three qualifying group games having yielded only a solitary point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a qualifying place.

Key Moments

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s effort had struck an Irish defender’s arm.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Qualifying Results

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team enhanced their chances of advancing by securing their first win with a 2-0 triumph over the Armenian side, climbing above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in the standings. Daniel Lukacs provided Hungary the lead in the opening period and a teammate secured the victory in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

Serbia 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 defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken shot in first-half added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in Group K continued as they were held to a 2-2 draw at home by Andorra. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their first point of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team maintained their dominant Group E run with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after strikes from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The win extended the title holders’ flawless record in qualifying, having notched 11 goals in three matches without letting in a goal.

Despite the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that passed most of the match sitting back. The home side controlled the match with more than 80% of the ball, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a well-executed dead-ball routine, and his compatriot wrapped up the win in the 64th minute with a stunning set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Additional Results

• Turkey bounced back with a comprehensive thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on Spain in their section. The Spanish club’s a young talent was one of the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or our next opponents. We are aware of what we have to do.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the previous two global tournaments, twice falling short in the playoffs, and the feared backdoor route now looks their most likely opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 hammering over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. Norway are top on eighteen points from six games. Italy have twelve points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points clear of Israel. The Estonian squad stay fourth on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

Italy host Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically catch the group leaders on points, the Norwegians’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.