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Rúben Neves saved the day for the Portuguese side with a dramatic winner in their World Cup match against the Republic of Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had saved a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Summary

Neves found the net during injury time to snatch a narrow victory, several seasons after Ronaldo had scored twice at the death to defeat a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of pride with a gritty performance that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

However, the loss leaves them facing elimination, with their initial trio of Group F games having yielded only a single point. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of claiming a playoff spot.

Key Moments

• Kelleher seemed to have secured Ireland a point when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s effort had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• 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

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their chances of qualifying by picking up their first win with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, moving above their rivals into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the advantage in the first half and a teammate made sure of the victory in second-half added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now secure their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the decisive strike for his team with a neat volley in first-half added time.

Latvia difficulties in Group K continued as they were held to a 2-2 draw at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera found the net for the away side late on from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Spain’s Group

Spain maintained their impressive qualifying group run with a 2-0 win over Georgia after strikes from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in Elche. The result extended the title holders’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having notched 11 goals in three games without conceding.

Despite the unavailability of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgia team that passed the majority of the game defending deep. The home side controlled the match with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

Pino broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece move, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the second period with a spectacular free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Additional Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive victory over the Bulgarian side to stay close to the group leaders in their section. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad boosted their prospects of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach said: “We’re not thinking about Norway or Israel. We are aware of what we have to do.”

Italy missed out for the previous two World Cups, on two occasions falling short in the playoffs, and the feared playoff path now looks their primary opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in Group I. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six games. Italy have twelve points with a match less played on their rivals and are three points clear of their next opponents. Estonia remain in fourth place 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 victory would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically overtake the group leaders on points, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot likely awaits for the Italian squad.