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Rúben Neves came to the rescue for Portugal with a injury-time winning goal in their World Cup qualifying match against Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had saved a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Summary

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during stoppage time to claim a narrow triumph, several seasons after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to overcome a resilient Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to leave Lisbon with a well-earned point, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of pride with a battling display that erased some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

However, the defeat leaves them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of qualifying group matches having produced only a solitary draw. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of securing a playoff place.

Major Moments

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had hit Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of added time when he headed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Other Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of qualifying by picking up their first win with a two-goal triumph over Armenia, climbing above their rivals into second place behind Portugal in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave his team the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber secured the points in late stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now secure their passage from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the only goal for his team with a well-taken shot in late stoppage time.

Latvia struggles in their group persisted as they were forced to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Group E

Spain continued their dominant Group E campaign with a 2-0 victory over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The win continued the title holders’ flawless record in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of key figures 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 the majority of the game defending deep. The home side dominated the encounter with more than 80% of the ball, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a heavy defeat.

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

Other Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was among the goal-getters.
• Italy boosted their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

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

Italy missed out for the previous two World Cups, twice falling short in the playoffs, and the feared backdoor route now looks their primary chance after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in Group I. The Norwegians are leading on eighteen points from six matches. Italy have twelve points with a match less played on their rivals and are three points clear of Israel. Estonia remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

Italy face Israel on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ far superior goal ratio means a qualifying place probably awaits for the Italian squad.