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Rúben Neves saved the day for the Portuguese side with a injury-time winning goal in their World Cup match against Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Summary

The Wolves midfielder found the net during added time to snatch a 1-0 win, four years after Ronaldo had scored twice late on to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned point, but in the end left empty-handed, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a gritty performance that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss puts them facing elimination, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having produced only a solitary draw. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of securing a qualifying place.

Key Moments

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s effort had struck an Irish defender’s hand.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of added time when he headed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Other Group Results

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of qualifying by securing their initial victory with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, moving above their rivals into second place behind Portugal in the standings. Daniel Lukacs provided his team the advantage in the opening period and a teammate secured the points in late added time.

Group K

Serbia slipped to a 1-0 loss at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning England can now seal their passage from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the only goal for his team with a well-taken shot in late added time.

Latvia difficulties in Group K continued as they were forced to a two-all tie at home by Andorra. An Andorran player scored for the away side 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Group E

Spain continued their impressive qualifying group campaign with a comfortable win 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 matches without letting in a goal.

Despite the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that passed most of the match sitting back. The home side controlled the encounter with over eighty percent of the ball, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a rout.

Pino broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a well-executed dead-ball routine, and his compatriot secured the win in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after Mamardashvili had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Scores

• Turkey bounced back with a 6-1 thrashing over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was one of the goal-getters.
• Italy improved their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or Israel. We know what we have to do.”

Italy failed to qualify for the previous two World Cups, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now appears their primary opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 win over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are leading on 18 points from six matches. The Italians have twelve points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points clear of Israel. The Estonian squad remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a win would secure second spot and, while they can still mathematically overtake the group leaders on points, the Norwegians’ far superior goal ratio means a playoff spot likely beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.