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Rúben Neves saved the day for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying clash against Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during added time to secure a narrow win, four years after the star striker had scored twice at the death to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought point, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of honor with a battling performance that erased some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss puts them facing elimination, with their initial trio of qualifying group matches having produced only a single point. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of claiming a playoff spot.

Major Incidents

• Kelleher looked 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 an Irish defender’s hand.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of added time when he directed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Additional Group Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their chances of qualifying by picking up their first win with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, moving above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave his team the lead in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the victory in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning England can now secure their qualification from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken shot in late added time.

Latvia struggles in Group K persisted as they were forced to a two-all tie at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera scored for the away side late on from time to claim them their first point of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Group E

Spain continued their impressive qualifying group campaign with a comfortable victory over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The result extended the European champions’ perfect run in qualifying, having scored 11 goals in three games without letting in a goal.

Despite the absence of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to injuries, the Spanish squad demonstrated their superiority against a Georgia team that spent most of the match sitting back. Spain dominated the match with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper their keeper averting a rout.

The scorer opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece move, and his compatriot wrapped up the victory in the second period with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Additional Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable victory away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, another attacker, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or Israel. We know our responsibilities.”

Italy missed out for the previous two global tournaments, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now appears their primary opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. Norway are top on 18 points from six matches. Italy have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of Israel. The Estonian squad stay fourth on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the playoffs.

The Italian national team host Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would secure second spot and, while they can still mathematically overtake the group leaders on the table, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place likely awaits for the Italian squad.