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Rúben Neves came to the rescue for Portugal with a last-gasp decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying encounter against Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a penalty from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

The Wolves midfielder headed home during injury time to secure a slender triumph, four years after the star striker had scored twice at the death to overcome a resilient Irish side.

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

However, the defeat puts them facing elimination, with their first three Group F games having produced only a single point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming a playoff place.

Major Moments

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the opening moments of stoppage time when he headed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Group Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team enhanced their hopes of qualifying by picking up their first win with a two-goal victory over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave his team the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the victory in second-half added time.

England’s Group

Serbia suffered a 1-0 loss at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning England can now seal their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken volley in late stoppage time.

Latvia struggles in Group K persisted as they were held to a two-all tie at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera found the net for the away side 12 minutes from time to claim them their first point of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their dominant qualifying group campaign with a comfortable victory over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The result extended the title holders’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having notched eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

Despite the unavailability of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that passed most of the match sitting back. The home side controlled the match with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the first half from a well-executed dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute 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 the Bulgarian side to stay close to the group leaders in their section. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad boosted their prospects of at least making the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach commented: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or Israel. We are aware of what we have to do.”

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two World Cups, on two occasions missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded backdoor route now looks their primary chance after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 hammering over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. Norway are top on 18 points from six games. The Italians have twelve points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad remain fourth on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides entering the playoffs.

The Italian national team host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure second spot and, while they can still theoretically overtake Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place probably beckons for the Italian squad.