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Rúben Neves was the hero for the Portuguese side with a dramatic decisive strike in their World Cup clash against the Republic of Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

Neves headed home during injury time to snatch a slender win, four years after the star striker had scored twice at the death to overcome a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought draw, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of honor with a gritty performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat leaves them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of qualifying group matches having produced only a single draw. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of claiming a playoff spot.

Key Moments

• Kelleher seemed to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s effort had struck Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of added time when he directed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Group Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of qualifying by picking up their first win with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the advantage in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the points in second-half added time.

Group K

Serbia suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now secure their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for Albania with a neat shot in first-half added time.

Latvia struggles in Group K persisted as they were held to a two-all 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 qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Spain’s Group

Spain maintained their impressive qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after strikes from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in Elche. The win continued the title holders’ perfect record in qualifying, having notched 11 goals in three matches without conceding.

Despite the unavailability of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their superiority against a Georgia team that passed the majority of the game defending deep. The home side dominated the match with over eighty percent possession, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or create a clear chance, with only shot-stopper their keeper preventing a heavy defeat.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the first half from a well-executed set-piece routine, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the second period with a spectacular free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a comprehensive thrashing over Bulgaria to stay close to the group leaders in Group E. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or Israel. We are aware of what we have to do.”

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two World Cups, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the feared backdoor route now looks their primary opportunity after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in Group I. The Norwegians are leading on eighteen points from six games. The Italians have twelve points with a game in hand on their competitors and are three points ahead of their next opponents. The Estonian squad stay fourth on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

Italy host Israel on Tuesday, where a win would secure second spot and, while they can still theoretically overtake the group leaders on the table, the leaders’ far superior goal difference means a qualifying place probably awaits for the Italian squad.