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Rúben Neves came to the rescue for Portugal with a last-gasp winner in their World Cup qualifying match against Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had denied a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Summary

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

The Irish squad looked set to leave Lisbon with a well-earned draw, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of pride with a battling display that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

However, the defeat leaves them staring down the barrel, with their first three Group F matches having yielded only a single point. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming a qualifying place.

Major Moments

• Kelleher seemed to have secured Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had hit an Irish defender’s arm.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of added time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Group Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their chances of advancing by securing their initial victory with a two-goal victory over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs gave Hungary the advantage in the first half and a teammate secured the victory in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

Serbia suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning England can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken volley in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K persisted as they were held to a 2-2 draw at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera found the net for the away side 12 minutes from time to claim them their first point of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

Spain continued their dominant Group E run with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in Elche. The result continued the title holders’ perfect run in qualifying, having notched 11 goals in three matches without conceding.

Despite the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game sitting back. The home side dominated the encounter with more than 80% possession, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or create a clear chance, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a well-executed set-piece routine, and his compatriot secured the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Additional Scores

• Turkey bounced back with a comprehensive thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in their section. The Spanish club’s a young talent was one of the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach said: “We’re not thinking about Norway or our next opponents. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now looks their most likely opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive hammering over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are leading on eighteen points from six games. Italy have twelve points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points clear of their next opponents. The Estonian squad stay in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on the table, the leaders’ far superior goal ratio means a qualifying place probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.