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Rúben Neves saved the day for the Portuguese side with a injury-time winner in their World Cup qualifying match against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Overview

Neves nodded in during added time to snatch a narrow win, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set 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 overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

However, the loss puts them facing elimination, with their initial trio of Group F matches having yielded only a single point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming a qualifying spot.

Major Moments

• Kelleher seemed to have secured Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s effort had hit Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Group Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their chances of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, moving above their rivals into second place behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided his team the lead in the first half and Zsombor Gruber secured the points in second-half stoppage time.

Group K

Serbia suffered a narrow loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now secure their qualification from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the only goal for his team with a neat volley in first-half stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K continued as they were forced to a 2-2 draw at home by Andorra. An Andorran player scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Group E

Spain maintained their dominant qualifying group run with a 2-0 victory over the Georgian side after strikes from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The result extended the European champions’ perfect record in the qualifiers, having scored eleven strikes in three matches without letting in a goal.

Despite the absence of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad demonstrated their dominance against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game sitting back. Spain controlled the encounter with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper their keeper preventing a heavy defeat.

Pino broke the deadlock in the first half from a well-executed dead-ball move, and Oyarzabal secured the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after Mamardashvili had saved Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Additional Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive victory over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was one of the goal-getters.
• Italy improved their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or Israel. We know what we have to do.”

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two World Cups, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now appears their most likely opportunity after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 hammering over Israel in their qualifying group. Norway are top on 18 points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a match less played on their competitors 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 World Cup, with the second-placed sides entering 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 overtake the group leaders on the table, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a playoff spot probably beckons for the Italian squad.