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Rúben Neves was the hero for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp winner in their World Cup match against Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had saved a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Summary

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during added time to snatch a 1-0 triumph, several seasons after the star striker had scored twice at the death to defeat a resilient Ireland team.

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

However, the loss leaves them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of Group F matches having produced only a solitary draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a playoff place.

Major Incidents

• Kelleher looked to have secured Ireland a point when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s shot had hit Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of added time when he headed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Group Results

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team boosted their chances of qualifying by picking up their first win with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, climbing above their opponents 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 made sure of the points in late added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow defeat at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning England can now seal their qualification from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the decisive strike for his team with a neat volley in first-half added time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K persisted as they were held to a 2-2 draw at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their first point of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their dominant qualifying group campaign with a comfortable victory over Georgia after goals from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The win continued the title holders’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having notched eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

Despite the absence of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to injuries, the Spanish squad demonstrated their superiority against a Georgia team that spent most of the match defending deep. The home side dominated the match with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper their keeper averting a rout.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a well-executed dead-ball routine, and his compatriot secured the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after Mamardashvili had denied a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Additional Scores

• Turkey bounced back with a comprehensive victory over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• Italy boosted their hopes of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to Estonia, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach commented: “We’re not thinking about Norway or our next opponents. We know our responsibilities.”

Italy missed out for the previous two global tournaments, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now appears their primary chance after Norway’s 5-0 win over Israel in their qualifying group. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six games. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad stay in fourth place on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

Italy face Israel on Tuesday, where a win would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a qualifying place probably beckons for the Italian squad.