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Rúben Neves saved the day for Portugal with a last-gasp winning goal in their World Cup qualifying clash against the Republic of Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder found the net during added time to claim a 1-0 win, several seasons after Ronaldo had scored twice at the death to defeat a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a well-earned draw, but in the end suffered defeat, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a gritty performance that erased some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss puts them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of Group F games having yielded only a single draw. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming a playoff spot.

Key Incidents

• Kelleher seemed to have secured Ireland a point when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s effort had struck an Irish defender’s hand.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Other Group Results

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their chances of qualifying by securing their initial victory with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, moving above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave his team the lead in the first half and Zsombor Gruber secured the victory in late added time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team suffered a narrow defeat at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now secure their passage from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the only goal for his team with a neat volley in first-half stoppage time.

The Latvian side difficulties in their group continued as they were held to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their first point of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their impressive Group E run with a comfortable victory over Georgia after goals from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The result continued the European champions’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having scored eleven strikes in three matches without conceding.

In spite of the absence of players such as a talented winger, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their superiority against a Georgia team that spent the majority of the game sitting back. Spain dominated the match with over eighty percent of the ball, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

Pino broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over Bulgaria to stay close to Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the scorers.
• Italy improved their prospects of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or Israel. We know what we have to do.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, on two occasions falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now looks their most likely opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 hammering over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six games. The Italians have twelve points with a game in hand on their competitors and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad stay fourth on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the playoffs.

The Italian national team host Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would secure second spot and, while they can still mathematically overtake Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ far superior goal ratio means a playoff spot likely beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.