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Rúben Neves saved the day for Portugal with a injury-time winner in their World Cup match against Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Overview

The Wolves midfielder found the net during injury time to secure a slender victory, four years after Ronaldo had scored twice late on to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

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 display that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of qualifying group matches having produced only a solitary point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of claiming a qualifying place.

Major Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have earned Ireland a point when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s effort had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Other Qualifying Results

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their hopes of qualifying by securing their initial victory with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, climbing above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in Group F. Daniel Lukacs gave his team the lead in the first half and a teammate made sure of the points in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow defeat at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now secure their passage from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the only goal for Albania with a well-taken shot in first-half added time.

Latvia difficulties in Group K continued as they were held to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Spain’s Group

Spain continued their dominant qualifying group run with a comfortable victory over the Georgian side after strikes from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win continued the title holders’ flawless run in qualifying, having scored 11 goals in three games without conceding.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that passed the majority of the game defending deep. The home side dominated the encounter with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper their keeper preventing a rout.

Pino opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken set-piece move, and his compatriot wrapped up the victory in the second period with a stunning set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Additional Results

• Turkey bounced back with a 6-1 victory over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on the group leaders in their section. The Spanish club’s a young talent was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes 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.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or our next opponents. We know our responsibilities.”

Italy missed out for the last two World Cups, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their most likely chance after Norway’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in Group I. The Norwegians are top on eighteen points from six games. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their competitors and are a trio of points clear of their next opponents. Estonia stay in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides going into the qualifying stage.

Italy host their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal difference means a playoff spot likely awaits for the Italian squad.