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

Match Summary

Neves found the net during added time to secure a slender win, several seasons after Ronaldo had scored twice late on to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned point, but in the end suffered defeat, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a gritty performance that erased some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

However, the defeat leaves them staring down the barrel, with their first three Group F matches having yielded only a single point. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a qualifying place.

Key Incidents

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a point when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s shot had struck an Irish defender’s arm.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the first minute of added time when he headed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal victory over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the lead in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the points in second-half stoppage time.

Group K

Serbia suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now secure their qualification from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for Albania with a neat volley in late added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in their group persisted as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player found the net for the away side 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Group E

Spain maintained their impressive qualifying group campaign with a comfortable victory over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win extended the title holders’ perfect record in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

Despite the absence of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that spent most of the match sitting back. The home side controlled the encounter with over eighty percent of the ball, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only goalkeeper their keeper preventing a rout.

Pino opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken set-piece routine, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the win in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after Mamardashvili had denied a Spanish player’s penalty.

Additional Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive victory over the Bulgarian side to stay close to Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was one of the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, another attacker, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or Israel. We know what we have to do.”

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two global tournaments, on two occasions falling short in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their primary chance after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 win over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are top on eighteen points from six games. Italy have twelve points with a match less played on their rivals and are three points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the runners-up going into the playoffs.

The Italian national team face their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on points, the leaders’ far superior goal difference means a qualifying place probably awaits for the Italian squad.