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Rúben Neves saved the day for the Portuguese side with a dramatic winner in their World Cup qualifying clash against Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a penalty from the veteran forward.

Match Overview

The Wolves midfielder headed home during injury time to snatch a narrow triumph, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace at the death to overcome a resilient Ireland team.

The Irish squad looked set to leave Lisbon with a well-earned point, but in the end suffered defeat, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a gritty display that erased 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 qualifying group games having produced only a single point. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of claiming a qualifying place.

Major Incidents

• Kelleher seemed to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s shot had struck an Irish defender’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of stoppage time when he headed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Other Group Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their chances of advancing by picking up their first win with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, moving above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave his team the advantage in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the points in late added time.

England’s Group

Serbia suffered a narrow defeat at home to Albania, with the result meaning England can now secure their qualification from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken volley in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side difficulties in their group continued as they were forced to a 2-2 draw at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera found the net for the away side late on from time to earn them their first point of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Group E

The Spanish national team continued their dominant Group E campaign with a comfortable victory over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The result extended the European champions’ perfect run in qualifying, having notched 11 goals in three matches without letting in a goal.

Despite the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game sitting back. Spain controlled the match with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper their keeper preventing a rout.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a well-executed dead-ball move, and his compatriot wrapped up the win in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a comprehensive thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in their section. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was among the goal-getters.
• Italy boosted their hopes 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.

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

Italy failed to qualify for the previous two World Cups, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now appears their most likely chance after Norway’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are top on eighteen points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a match less played on their competitors and are a trio of points clear of Israel. The Estonian squad remain fourth on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the runners-up going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team face their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically overtake Norway on points, the Norwegians’ far superior goal ratio means a qualifying place likely awaits for the Italian squad.