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Rúben Neves saved the day for Portugal with a last-gasp winner in their World Cup qualifying match against Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Summary

Neves found the net during injury time to claim a 1-0 win, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace at the death to defeat a resilient Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to leave Lisbon with a well-earned point, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite restoring a significant amount of honor with a battling display that erased some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

However, the loss puts them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having produced only a solitary draw. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a playoff place.

Major Moments

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have earned Ireland a draw when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had hit Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the first minute of added time when he headed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Group Results

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team enhanced their hopes of qualifying by securing their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, moving above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary 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 loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now seal their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the decisive strike for Albania with a neat shot in first-half stoppage time.

Latvia difficulties in their group continued as they were held to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera scored for the visitors late on from time to claim them their first point of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Group E

Spain maintained their impressive Group E run with a 2-0 victory over the Georgian side after strikes from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The win extended the title holders’ flawless run in qualifying, having scored 11 goals in three matches without letting in a goal.

Despite the absence of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that passed most of the match sitting back. The home side controlled the match with more than 80% possession, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or create a clear chance, with only goalkeeper their keeper preventing a heavy defeat.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the first half from a well-executed dead-ball move, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the 64th minute with a spectacular free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a 6-1 victory over the Bulgarian side to stay close to the group leaders in their section. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was among the goal-getters.
• Italy boosted their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a 3-1 win away to Estonia, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach said: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or our next opponents. We know what we have to do.”

The Azzurri missed out for the last two global tournaments, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their most likely chance after Norway’s 5-0 hammering over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are top on eighteen points from six matches. Italy have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points ahead of their next opponents. Estonia stay fourth on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still theoretically overtake Norway on the table, the leaders’ far superior goal ratio means a playoff spot likely beckons for the Italian squad.