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Rúben Neves was the hero for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp winner in their World Cup qualifying encounter against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had saved a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Summary

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during added time to secure a slender triumph, several seasons after the star striker had scored twice late on to defeat a resilient Ireland team.

The Irish squad appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned point, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a gritty display that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

However, the loss puts them facing elimination, with their first three Group F games having produced only a single point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of securing a qualifying spot.

Key Incidents

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a point when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s effort had struck Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he headed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their chances of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, moving above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in the standings. Daniel Lukacs provided Hungary the advantage in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the victory in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team suffered a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now seal their passage from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken volley in late added time.

Latvia struggles in Group K persisted as they were forced to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Spain’s Group

Spain maintained their impressive Group E run with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The result extended the European champions’ perfect record in qualifying, having scored eleven strikes in three games without letting in a goal.

Despite the absence of players such as a talented winger, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that spent most of the match sitting back. Spain controlled the encounter with more than 80% of the ball, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a heavy defeat.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the first half from a well-executed set-piece move, and his compatriot wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Additional Results

• Turkey bounced back with a comprehensive victory over the Bulgarian side to stay close to Spain in Group E. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was one of the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a comfortable win away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, another attacker, and a third scorer.

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

Italy missed out for the previous two global tournaments, on two occasions missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded backdoor route now appears their primary chance after Norway’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are top on eighteen points from six matches. Italy have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals 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 qualifying stage.

The Italian national team face their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake the group leaders on the table, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place probably beckons for the Italian squad.