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Rúben Neves was the hero for the Portuguese side with a injury-time decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying encounter against Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

Neves headed home during added time to claim a slender win, several seasons after Ronaldo had scored twice at the death to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of honor with a gritty display that erased some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

However, the defeat puts them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having produced only a single point. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming a playoff spot.

Key Moments

• Kelleher seemed to have secured Ireland a draw when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of added time when he headed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Qualifying Results

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team enhanced their hopes of qualifying by picking up their first win with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in the standings. Daniel Lukacs gave Hungary the lead in the first half and Zsombor Gruber secured the points in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the decisive strike for Albania with a neat volley in late stoppage time.

Latvia difficulties in their group persisted as they were forced to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player found the net for the away side 12 minutes from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their dominant qualifying group 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 European champions’ flawless run in the qualifiers, having scored eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

Despite the absence of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that passed most of the match defending deep. The home side dominated the encounter with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a heavy defeat.

Pino broke the deadlock in the first half from a expertly taken set-piece routine, and his compatriot secured the win in the 64th minute with a spectacular set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Other Scores

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a comprehensive thrashing over the Bulgarian side to stay close to the group leaders in Group E. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad boosted their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a comfortable win away to Estonia, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach commented: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or Israel. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two global tournaments, on two occasions missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now looks their primary opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 hammering over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are leading 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. Estonia remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the runners-up going into the qualifying stage.

Italy face their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch the group leaders on points, the leaders’ far superior goal difference means a qualifying place probably beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.