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Rúben Neves was the hero for Portugal with a dramatic winner in their World Cup qualifying clash against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had saved a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Summary

The Wolves midfielder found the net during injury time to snatch a narrow triumph, several seasons after Ronaldo had scored twice late on to defeat a resilient Ireland team.

The Irish squad looked set 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 display that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss puts them staring down the barrel, with their first three Group F games having produced only a single point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a playoff place.

Major Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s shot had struck an Irish defender’s hand.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the first minute of added time when he headed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Group Results

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their chances of advancing by picking up their first win with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, moving above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in the standings. Daniel Lukacs provided Hungary the lead in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the points in late added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now secure their passage from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken shot in first-half stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K persisted as they were forced to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

Spain maintained their impressive Group E campaign with a 2-0 win over Georgia after goals from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The result continued the title holders’ flawless run in qualifying, having scored 11 goals in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game sitting back. Spain dominated the match with more than 80% 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 broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a well-executed dead-ball move, and his compatriot secured the win in the 64th minute with a spectacular set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Additional Scores

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive victory over the Bulgarian side to stay close to the group leaders in their section. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was one of the scorers.
• Italy boosted their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach commented: “We’re not thinking about Norway or Israel. We are aware of what we have to do.”

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two World Cups, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their most likely opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 hammering over Israel in Group I. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six matches. Italy have twelve points with a match less played on their competitors and are a trio of points ahead of their next opponents. Estonia stay fourth on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

Italy host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure second spot and, while they can still theoretically overtake the group leaders on points, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a playoff spot probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.