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Rúben Neves came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp winning goal in their World Cup clash against Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Summary

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during stoppage time to secure a 1-0 victory, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace at the death to defeat a resilient Ireland team.

The Irish squad looked set to leave Lisbon with a well-earned point, but in the end suffered defeat, despite regaining a good deal of honor with a battling performance that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them facing elimination, with their first three Group F matches having yielded only a single point. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of claiming a playoff place.

Key Moments

• Kelleher seemed to have earned Ireland a draw when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s shot had struck an Irish defender’s arm.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the first minute of added time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Other Group Results

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of qualifying by securing their first win with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, moving above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in the standings. Daniel Lukacs gave Hungary the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber secured the points in second-half added time.

England’s Group

Serbia slipped to a narrow loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the only goal for his team with a well-taken volley in first-half stoppage time.

The Latvian side difficulties in their group persisted as they were forced to a 2-2 tie at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera found the net for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their first point of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Group E

Spain continued their impressive qualifying group campaign with a comfortable victory over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The result continued the European champions’ flawless run in the qualifiers, having notched 11 goals in three games without letting in a goal.

Despite the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game defending deep. The home side controlled the encounter with over eighty percent of the ball, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or create a clear chance, with only shot-stopper their keeper averting a rout.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a well-executed dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the win in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had denied a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Other Scores

• Turkey bounced back with a comprehensive thrashing over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was one of the scorers.
• Italy improved their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to Estonia, thanks to goals from a forward, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or Israel. We know what we have to do.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the previous two World Cups, twice falling short in the playoffs, 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. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six matches. Italy have twelve points with a match less played on their competitors and are a trio of points clear of their next opponents. The Estonian squad stay in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the tournament, with the runners-up entering the playoffs.

Italy host their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still theoretically overtake Norway on points, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place likely awaits for the Italian squad.