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Rúben Neves saved the day for Portugal with a injury-time winning goal in their World Cup qualifying clash against Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had saved a penalty from the veteran forward.

Match Overview

The Wolves midfielder headed home during added time to claim a slender win, several seasons after Ronaldo had scored twice late on to defeat a stubborn Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought draw, but in the end suffered defeat, despite restoring a significant amount of honor with a gritty display that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

However, the defeat leaves them in a difficult position, with their first three qualifying group games having yielded only a solitary draw. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming a qualifying place.

Major Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had struck an Irish defender’s arm.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the opening moments of stoppage time when he headed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Results

Group F

Hungary boosted their chances of advancing by securing their first win with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, moving above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the advantage in the opening period and a teammate secured the victory in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

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

Latvia struggles in their group persisted as they were held to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player found the net for the away side late on from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Spain’s Group

Spain maintained their impressive qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The result extended the title holders’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three games without conceding.

Despite the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that passed most of the match defending deep. The home side dominated the match with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper their keeper preventing a rout.

Pino broke the deadlock in the first half from a well-executed set-piece routine, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the 64th minute with a stunning set-piece after Mamardashvili had denied Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Other Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a comprehensive thrashing over Bulgaria to stay close to Spain in Group E. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was one of the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad boosted their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a comfortable win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

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

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, on two occasions missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now appears their most likely chance after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive hammering over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. Norway are top on eighteen points from six matches. Italy have twelve points with a match less played on their competitors and are a trio of points clear of Israel. Estonia stay in fourth place on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the tournament, with the second-placed sides 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 the group leaders on the table, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot probably beckons for the Italian squad.