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Rúben Neves saved the day for Portugal with a dramatic winning goal in their World Cup qualifying encounter against Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Overview

Neves headed home during injury time to secure a 1-0 win, four years after Ronaldo had scored twice late on to defeat a stubborn Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought draw, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite regaining a significant amount of honor with a gritty performance that erased some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

However, the loss puts them staring down the barrel, with their first three qualifying group matches having produced only a single point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming a playoff place.

Major Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have earned Ireland a point when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had hit Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of added time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Results

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their hopes of qualifying by securing their initial victory with a two-goal victory over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs provided his team the lead in the first half and Zsombor Gruber secured the victory in late stoppage time.

Group K

Serbia slipped to a 1-0 defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now secure their passage from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the only goal for Albania with a neat shot in first-half stoppage time.

Latvia struggles in their group continued as they were forced to a 2-2 draw at home by Andorra. An Andorran player found the net for the away side late on from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Group E

Spain continued their impressive qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 victory over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The result continued the title holders’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having notched eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgia team that passed the majority of the game defending deep. The home side controlled the match with more than 80% possession, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper their keeper preventing a rout.

Pino opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a expertly taken dead-ball move, and his compatriot wrapped up the victory in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Additional Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive thrashing over the Bulgarian side to stay close to Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad boosted their hopes of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “We’re not thinking about Norway or Israel. We are aware of what we have to do.”

The Azzurri missed out for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions falling short in the playoffs, and the feared backdoor route now appears their primary opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 hammering over the Israeli side in Group I. The Norwegians are leading on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have twelve points with a match less played on their competitors and are three points clear of their next opponents. The Estonian squad remain in fourth place on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the tournament, with the runners-up entering the qualifying stage.

Italy face their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch the group leaders on the table, the leaders’ far superior goal difference means a qualifying place likely awaits for the Italian squad.