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Rúben Neves came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a dramatic winning goal in their World Cup qualifying match against Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Summary

Neves found the net during added time to snatch a slender triumph, several seasons after Ronaldo had bagged a brace at the death to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite regaining a good deal of honor with a gritty display that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat puts them facing elimination, with their initial trio of Group F games having yielded only a single draw. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of securing a qualifying place.

Major Incidents

• Kelleher looked to have secured Ireland a point when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s effort had hit an Irish defender’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of added time when he headed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Results

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team enhanced their chances of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal triumph over Armenia, climbing above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave his team the lead in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber secured the points in late added time.

Group K

Serbia slipped to a narrow loss at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now seal their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the only goal for his team with a well-taken volley in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K continued as they were held to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera scored for the away side late on from time to earn them their first point of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their impressive qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 win over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The win continued the title holders’ perfect run in qualifying, having notched 11 goals in three matches without conceding.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their dominance against a Georgia team that passed most of the match defending deep. The home side dominated the match with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper their keeper preventing a rout.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball move, and his compatriot secured the win in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Additional Results

• Turkey bounced back with a 6-1 victory over the Bulgarian side to stay close to Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was one of the scorers.
• The Italian squad boosted their prospects of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to Estonia, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, another attacker, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach commented: “We’re not thinking about Norway or our next opponents. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri missed out for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions falling short in the playoffs, and the feared playoff path now looks their most likely opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive hammering over Israel in their qualifying group. Norway are leading on 18 points from six matches. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their competitors and are a trio of points clear of Israel. The Estonian squad remain fourth on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the World Cup, with the runners-up going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch the group leaders on the table, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place probably beckons for the Italian squad.