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Rúben Neves came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a injury-time winning goal in their World Cup encounter against Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a penalty from the veteran forward.

Match Overview

The Wolves midfielder headed home during added time to secure a narrow triumph, several seasons after Ronaldo had scored twice at the death to defeat a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a well-earned point, but in the end suffered defeat, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a gritty performance that erased some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat puts them staring down the barrel, with their first three Group F matches having produced only a single draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of securing a qualifying place.

Major Moments

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a point when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of added time when he headed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary enhanced their hopes of advancing by picking up their first win with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, moving above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs provided Hungary the lead in the first half and a teammate made sure of the points in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team suffered a narrow loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now seal their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken shot in first-half added time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K continued as they were forced to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera scored for the visitors late on from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their impressive qualifying group run with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win extended the title holders’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having notched 11 goals in three matches without conceding.

Despite the absence of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. Spain controlled the match with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a rout.

Pino opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the second period with a stunning set-piece after Mamardashvili had denied a Spanish player’s penalty.

Additional Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a 6-1 thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on Spain in Group E. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable win away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from a forward, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

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

Italy missed out for the last two World Cups, on two occasions falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now appears their primary chance after Norway’s 5-0 win over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are leading on 18 points from six matches. The Italians have 12 points with a match less played on their rivals and are three points ahead of Israel. Estonia remain fourth on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the tournament, with the runners-up going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host Israel on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ far superior goal ratio means a qualifying place probably beckons for the Italian squad.