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Rúben Neves was the hero for Portugal with a last-gasp winner in their World Cup match against the Republic of Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

Neves nodded in during added time to snatch a narrow victory, several seasons after the star striker had scored twice late on to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned point, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite regaining a significant amount of honor with a battling performance that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

However, the defeat leaves them in a difficult position, with their first three qualifying group matches having produced only a single point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming a playoff place.

Key Moments

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have secured Ireland a point when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of added time when he headed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Group Results

Group F

Hungary boosted their chances of advancing by picking up their first win with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, climbing above their rivals into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave his team the advantage in the first half and a teammate made sure of the victory in second-half stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to Albania, with the result meaning England can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for his team with a neat volley in first-half stoppage time.

The Latvian side difficulties in Group K continued as they were forced to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera found the net for the away side late on from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

Spain maintained their impressive Group E campaign with a comfortable win over the Georgian side after strikes from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win continued the title holders’ perfect record in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three games without conceding.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game 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 Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a heavy defeat.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball move, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the second period with a stunning free kick after Mamardashvili had saved Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Additional Scores

• Turkey bounced back with a comprehensive thrashing over Bulgaria to stay close to Spain in their section. The Spanish club’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• Italy boosted their prospects of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

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

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two World Cups, on two occasions falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now appears their primary opportunity after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 win over Israel in Group I. Norway are top on 18 points from six matches. Italy have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of their next opponents. The Estonian squad remain fourth on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

The Italian national team face their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on points, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place likely awaits for the Italian squad.