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Rúben Neves came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a injury-time winning goal in their World Cup qualifying match against the Republic of Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Overview

Neves headed home during added time to secure a 1-0 victory, several seasons after the star striker had scored twice at the death to defeat a resilient Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought draw, but in the end suffered defeat, despite regaining a significant amount of honor with a battling performance that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat leaves them facing elimination, with their first three qualifying group games having produced only a solitary draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a qualifying spot.

Key Moments

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have earned Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s effort had struck an Irish defender’s arm.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of added time when he headed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their chances of advancing by securing their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over the Armenian side, climbing above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in Group F. Daniel Lukacs provided his team the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber secured the points in late added time.

Group K

Serbia slipped to a narrow defeat at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now seal their qualification from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the only goal for his team with a neat volley in late added time.

Latvia difficulties in their group persisted as they were forced to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the away side 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Spain’s Group

Spain maintained their dominant Group E campaign with a comfortable victory over Georgia after goals from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The result extended the title holders’ flawless run in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as a talented winger, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgia team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. The home side controlled the match with more than 80% possession, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or create a clear chance, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

Pino opened the scoring in the first half from a well-executed dead-ball routine, and his compatriot secured the win in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after Mamardashvili had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Scores

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over the Bulgarian side to stay close to Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was among the scorers.
• Italy improved their hopes of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable win away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or our next opponents. 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 dreaded playoff path now looks their most likely opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 win over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are leading on 18 points from six games. Italy have twelve points with a match less played on their competitors and are three points ahead of Israel. Estonia 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.

Italy host Israel on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake the group leaders on points, the leaders’ far superior goal ratio means a playoff spot likely beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.