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Rúben Neves was the hero for Portugal with a last-gasp winning goal in their World Cup qualifying encounter against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had denied a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during added time to snatch a slender victory, four years after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to overcome a resilient Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but in the end left empty-handed, despite regaining a good deal of honor with a gritty performance that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

However, the defeat puts them in a difficult position, with their first three qualifying group matches having yielded only a single point. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of claiming a qualifying place.

Key Moments

• Kelleher looked to have secured Ireland a point when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s effort had struck Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of added time when he headed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Other Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

Hungary enhanced their hopes of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, moving above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided his team the lead in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the victory in second-half added time.

England’s Group

Serbia suffered a narrow defeat at home to Albania, with the result meaning England can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken volley in first-half added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in their group persisted as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera scored for the away side late on from time to claim them their first point of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Group E

Spain continued their impressive Group E campaign with a 2-0 win over Georgia after goals from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The result continued the European champions’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three games without conceding.

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 demonstrated their superiority against a Georgia team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. Spain dominated the encounter with more than 80% of the ball, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

Pino broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a well-executed dead-ball routine, and his compatriot wrapped up the win in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied a Spanish player’s penalty.

Other Results

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on Spain in their section. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was one of the goal-getters.
• Italy improved their prospects of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach commented: “We’re not thinking about Norway or our next opponents. We know what we have to do.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, twice falling short in the playoffs, and the feared backdoor route now appears their most likely opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive hammering over Israel in Group I. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have twelve points with a match less played on their rivals and are three points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad stay in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would secure second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place likely beckons for the Italian squad.