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Rúben Neves came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a dramatic winner in their World Cup qualifying encounter against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Summary

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during injury time to claim a narrow triumph, four years after Ronaldo had scored twice at the death to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought draw, but in the end suffered defeat, despite restoring a significant amount of honor with a gritty display that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

However, the defeat leaves them facing elimination, with their initial trio of qualifying group matches having yielded only a solitary point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of claiming a playoff spot.

Major Moments

• Kelleher seemed to have earned Ireland a point when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s effort had hit an Irish defender’s arm.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the first minute of added time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Group Outcomes

Group F

Hungary boosted their hopes of advancing by picking up their first win with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided his team the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the points in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team suffered a narrow loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the decisive strike for Albania with a neat shot in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K persisted as they were forced to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Spain’s Group

Spain continued their impressive qualifying group campaign with a comfortable victory over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win extended the European champions’ perfect run in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three matches without conceding.

In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad demonstrated their superiority against a Georgia team that passed most of the match sitting back. Spain controlled the encounter with over eighty percent of the ball, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or create a clear chance, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a rout.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the first half from a well-executed set-piece routine, and his compatriot secured the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Other Results

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. Real Madrid’s a young talent was one of the scorers.
• Italy improved their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, another attacker, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach commented: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or our next opponents. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri missed out for the last two global tournaments, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the feared backdoor route now appears their primary chance after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six games. The Italians have 12 points with a match less played on their competitors and are three points ahead of Israel. Estonia stay in fourth place on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the runners-up going into the playoffs.

Italy face Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on points, the Norwegians’ much better goal difference means a playoff spot probably beckons for the Italian squad.