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Rúben Neves saved the day for Portugal with a last-gasp winning goal in their World Cup qualifying match against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had saved a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Summary

The Wolves midfielder found the net during added time to snatch a narrow triumph, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought draw, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a gritty performance that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

However, the loss puts them staring down the barrel, with their first three qualifying group matches having yielded only a single draw. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of securing a playoff place.

Major Moments

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a point when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s effort had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Group Results

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team boosted their chances of advancing by picking up their first win with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, climbing above their rivals into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave his team the advantage in the opening period and a teammate secured the points in second-half stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England 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 neat volley in first-half added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in their group continued as they were held to a two-all tie at home by Andorra. An Andorran player scored for the visitors late on from time to claim them their first point of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Spain’s Group

Spain maintained their dominant qualifying group campaign with a comfortable victory over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in Elche. The result extended the title holders’ flawless run in the qualifiers, having notched 11 goals in three matches without letting in a goal.

Despite the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their dominance against a Georgia team that passed the majority of the game defending deep. Spain controlled 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 their keeper preventing a heavy defeat.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece routine, and his compatriot secured the victory in the 64th minute with a spectacular set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• Turkey bounced back with a comprehensive thrashing over the Bulgarian side to stay close to the group leaders in their section. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was one of the scorers.
• The Italian squad boosted their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a 3-1 victory away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or Israel. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

Italy missed out for the last two global tournaments, twice missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now appears their most likely opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 hammering over Israel in Group I. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six matches. Italy have twelve points with a game in hand on their competitors and are three points clear of their next opponents. The Estonian squad stay fourth on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the tournament, with the second-placed sides going into the qualifying stage.

Italy host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically overtake Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place probably beckons for the Italian squad.