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Rúben Neves saved the day for Portugal with a last-gasp winner in their World Cup clash against Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Summary

The Wolves midfielder headed home during added time to secure a slender triumph, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace at the death to defeat a resilient Ireland team.

The Irish squad appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of honor with a battling performance that overshadowed 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 matches having produced only a solitary draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of securing a qualifying spot.

Key Moments

• Kelleher seemed to have earned Ireland a point when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had struck an Irish defender’s hand.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he headed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Other Group Results

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their chances of qualifying by picking up their first win with a two-goal victory over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in the standings. Daniel Lukacs gave his team the advantage in the first half and a teammate made sure of the victory in second-half added time.

Group K

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 Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken volley in first-half added time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K persisted as they were forced to a 2-2 draw at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the visitors late on from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Spain’s Group

Spain continued their dominant qualifying group run with a comfortable win over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win extended the title holders’ flawless run in qualifying, having scored 11 goals in three matches without conceding.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to injuries, the Spanish squad demonstrated their dominance against a Georgian team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. The home side dominated the encounter with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper their keeper preventing a heavy defeat.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a well-executed set-piece move, and his compatriot secured the victory in the second period with a spectacular free kick after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Additional Results

• Turkey bounced back with a 6-1 victory over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad boosted their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach said: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or Israel. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

Italy missed out for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now appears their most likely chance after Norway’s comprehensive hammering over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. Norway are top on eighteen points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a match less played on their rivals and are a trio of points ahead of their next opponents. Estonia stay in fourth place on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides entering the playoffs.

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 points, the Norwegians’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place likely beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.