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Rúben Neves saved the day for Portugal with a last-gasp decisive strike in their World Cup clash against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

Neves nodded in during injury time to secure a slender triumph, several seasons after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to overcome a resilient Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought draw, but in the end left empty-handed, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a battling performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

However, the defeat puts them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having yielded only a solitary point. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of claiming a qualifying spot.

Major Incidents

• Kelleher looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s effort had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of stoppage time when he headed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Group Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary enhanced their hopes of advancing by picking up their first win with a 2-0 triumph over the Armenian side, moving above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs provided his team the advantage in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber secured the victory in second-half added time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the only goal for his team with a neat shot in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in their group persisted as they were forced to a 2-2 draw at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera found the net for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their dominant Group E run with a comfortable victory over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The result extended the European champions’ flawless record in qualifying, having scored eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

In spite of 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 Georgian team that passed the majority of the game defending deep. The home side dominated the encounter with more than 80% of the ball, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

Pino opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a well-executed set-piece move, and his compatriot wrapped up the win in the second period with a stunning set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was one of the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad boosted their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a 3-1 victory 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 our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two World Cups, on two occasions falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now looks their primary opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are leading on eighteen points from six games. The Italians have twelve points with a match less played on their competitors and are a trio of points ahead of their next opponents. Estonia remain fourth on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team face their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot likely beckons for the Italian squad.