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Rúben Neves saved the day for Portugal with a injury-time winning goal in their World Cup qualifying encounter against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

Neves nodded in during stoppage time to claim a 1-0 triumph, four years after the star striker had scored twice late on to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought point, but in the end suffered defeat, despite restoring a significant amount of pride with a gritty performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

However, the defeat leaves them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of Group F matches having yielded only a solitary draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of claiming a qualifying place.

Key Moments

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

Additional Group Results

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team enhanced their chances of advancing by securing their first win with a two-goal triumph over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in Group F. Daniel Lukacs provided Hungary the lead in the first half and a teammate secured the victory in second-half stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the only goal for Albania with a neat volley in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in their group persisted as they were forced to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the away side 12 minutes from time to earn them their first point of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

Spain maintained their impressive qualifying group run with a 2-0 victory over the Georgian side after strikes from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win continued the European champions’ flawless run in qualifying, having notched 11 goals in three matches without conceding.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as a talented winger, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their dominance against a Georgia team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. Spain dominated the match with more than 80% possession, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a heavy defeat.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken set-piece move, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning set-piece after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Additional Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 thrashing over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• Italy improved their prospects of at least making the knockout stage with a 3-1 victory away to Estonia, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “We’re not thinking about Norway or our next opponents. We know our responsibilities.”

Italy missed out for the previous two World Cups, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded backdoor route now looks their most likely chance after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive hammering over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are top on eighteen points from six matches. Italy have 12 points with a game in hand on their competitors and are three points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad stay fourth on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the playoffs.

The Italian national team host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake the group leaders on points, the Norwegians’ far superior goal ratio means a playoff spot likely beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.