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Rúben Neves came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a dramatic winner in their World Cup encounter against Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Summary

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during injury time to snatch a 1-0 triumph, four years after the star striker had scored twice late on to defeat a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but in the end suffered defeat, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a battling performance that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them in a difficult position, with their first three Group F games having produced only a single draw. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a qualifying place.

Major Incidents

• Kelleher looked 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 saved Portugal in the first minute of stoppage time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Results

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their chances of advancing by securing their first win with a 2-0 triumph over the Armenian side, climbing above their rivals into second place behind Portugal in the standings. Daniel Lukacs provided Hungary the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber secured the victory in late added time.

England’s Group

Serbia suffered a 1-0 loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning England can now seal their passage from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the only goal for his team with a neat shot in first-half stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K continued as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera scored for the visitors late on from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their dominant Group E campaign with a comfortable victory over Georgia after goals from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in Elche. The win continued the title holders’ flawless run in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

Despite the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that spent most of the match sitting back. The home side dominated the encounter with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or generate a clear chance, with only goalkeeper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

Pino broke the deadlock in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and his compatriot wrapped up the win in the second period with a stunning set-piece after the Georgian keeper had denied a Spanish player’s penalty.

Other Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 thrashing over the Bulgarian side to stay close to Spain in their section. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable victory away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, another attacker, and a third scorer.

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

Italy failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now looks their primary opportunity after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. Norway are top on eighteen points from six games. The Italians have twelve points with a game in hand 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 going into the playoffs.

Italy host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.