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Rúben Neves saved the day for the Portuguese side with a injury-time winner in their World Cup match against the Republic of Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Game Summary

Neves headed home during stoppage time to secure a slender triumph, several seasons after the star striker had scored twice late on to overcome a resilient Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to leave Lisbon with a well-earned point, but in the end left empty-handed, despite regaining a significant amount of honor with a battling performance that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat puts them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having yielded only a single draw. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of claiming a qualifying place.

Major Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have secured Ireland a point when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s effort had hit Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of stoppage time when he headed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Group Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their hopes of qualifying by securing their first win with a two-goal triumph over Armenia, climbing above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs provided Hungary the lead in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the points in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team suffered a narrow defeat at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now seal their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the only goal for his team with a neat volley in first-half added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in Group K persisted as they were forced to a two-all draw at home by Andorra. An Andorran player found the net for the away side 12 minutes from time to earn them their first point of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Group E

Spain maintained their dominant Group E campaign with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in Elche. The win extended the European champions’ perfect record in the qualifiers, having notched 11 goals in three matches without conceding.

Despite the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game sitting back. Spain controlled the match with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a heavy defeat.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a well-executed set-piece move, and his compatriot secured the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Additional Scores

• Turkey bounced back with a 6-1 victory over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in their section. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was one of the scorers.
• Italy boosted their hopes of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or Israel. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two World Cups, on two occasions missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded backdoor route now appears their most likely opportunity after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive hammering over Israel in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are leading on 18 points from six matches. The Italians have twelve points with a match less played on their rivals and are a trio of points ahead of their next opponents. Estonia stay fourth on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the tournament, with the second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

Italy face their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake Norway on points, the Norwegians’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place probably beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.