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Rúben Neves saved the day for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp winning goal in their World Cup qualifying encounter against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had saved a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder found the net during stoppage time to claim a narrow win, four years after the star striker had scored twice late on to overcome a resilient Ireland team.

The Irish squad looked set to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought point, but in the end left empty-handed, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a battling display that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss puts them facing elimination, with their first three Group F matches having yielded only a single draw. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of claiming a playoff spot.

Major Moments

• Kelleher seemed to have secured Ireland a point when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot 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 a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Group Outcomes

Group F

Hungary boosted their hopes of advancing by securing their first win with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, climbing above their rivals into second place behind Portugal in Group F. Daniel Lukacs gave his team the lead in the first half and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the points in late added time.

England’s Group

Serbia slipped to a 1-0 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 only goal for his team with a well-taken shot in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K continued as they were forced to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the away side late on from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their dominant Group E run with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win extended the European champions’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three games without conceding.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game sitting back. Spain dominated the encounter with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

Pino broke the deadlock in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball move, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the second period with a stunning free kick after Mamardashvili had denied a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Other Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a comprehensive thrashing over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least reaching the knockout stage with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, another attacker, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or our next opponents. We know what we have to do.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the previous two World Cups, twice falling short in the playoffs, and the feared playoff path now looks their primary opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 hammering over Israel in Group I. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have twelve points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points clear of their next opponents. Estonia remain fourth on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the playoffs.

The Italian national team host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake Norway on the table, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place probably beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.