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Rúben Neves was the hero for Portugal with a injury-time winning goal in their World Cup encounter against the Republic of Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had saved a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

Neves headed home during added time to secure a 1-0 triumph, several seasons after the star striker had scored twice at the death to defeat a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought point, but in the end left empty-handed, despite regaining a significant amount of honor with a gritty display that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them staring down the barrel, with their first three Group F games having produced only a single point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming a qualifying place.

Key Incidents

• Kelleher looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s effort had struck an Irish defender’s hand.
• Neves saved Portugal in the opening moments of added time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team enhanced their hopes of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, moving above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in Group F. Daniel Lukacs provided Hungary the advantage in the opening period and a teammate secured the points in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

Serbia suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now secure their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the only goal for his team with a neat shot in late added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in Group K persisted as they were forced to a two-all tie at home by Andorra. An Andorran player scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their first point of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their dominant Group E campaign with a comfortable win over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win continued the title holders’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having scored eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad demonstrated their dominance against a Georgian team that spent most of the match sitting back. The home side controlled the encounter with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or create a clear chance, with only shot-stopper their keeper preventing a rout.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece routine, and his compatriot secured the victory in the second period with a stunning set-piece after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Additional Results

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over Bulgaria to stay close to the group leaders in their section. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was among the scorers.
• Italy boosted their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 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 Israel. We know what we have to do.”

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 primary chance after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. Norway are top on 18 points from six matches. The Italians have twelve points with a match less played on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of their next opponents. Estonia stay in fourth place on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a win would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on points, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a qualifying place likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.