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Rúben Neves saved the day for Portugal with a dramatic decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying encounter against the Republic of Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

Neves headed home during stoppage time to claim a narrow win, several seasons after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to overcome a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but in the end left empty-handed, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a battling performance that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

However, the loss puts them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of Group F games having yielded only a solitary point. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of claiming a playoff place.

Major Moments

• Kelleher looked to have secured Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s effort had hit an Irish defender’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he headed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Group Results

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their chances of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, climbing above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs provided his team the lead in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the victory in late stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now seal their passage from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken shot 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 the Andorran team. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors late on from time to claim them their first point of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Group E

Spain continued their dominant Group E run with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after goals from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The win continued the European champions’ flawless run in qualifying, having scored eleven strikes in three games without letting in a goal.

Despite the unavailability of players such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that passed most of the match defending deep. Spain controlled the encounter with over eighty percent of the ball, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper their keeper preventing a heavy defeat.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the first half from a well-executed dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the 64th minute with a spectacular free kick after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 victory over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in Group E. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, another attacker, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or our next opponents. We are aware of what we have to do.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, twice missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now looks their primary opportunity after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 hammering over Israel in their qualifying group. Norway are top on 18 points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a match less played on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of Israel. 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 their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically overtake the group leaders on points, the Norwegians’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot likely beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.