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Rúben Neves was the hero for the Portuguese side with a injury-time winning goal in their World Cup qualifying clash against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder found the net during injury time to claim a 1-0 win, several seasons after the star striker had scored twice late on to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought draw, but in the end suffered defeat, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a battling performance that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

However, the loss leaves them in a difficult position, with their first three qualifying group games having produced only a single point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of claiming a playoff place.

Major Moments

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• The match-winner saved Portugal 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 boosted their chances of advancing by securing their first win with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, moving above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the lead in the first half and Zsombor Gruber secured the victory in second-half added time.

Group K

Serbia suffered a narrow loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken volley in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side difficulties in Group K continued as they were forced to a two-all tie at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera found the net for the away side late on from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Spain’s Group

Spain maintained their impressive qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The result continued the European champions’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their dominance against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game sitting back. Spain dominated the encounter with more than 80% of the ball, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the second period with a spectacular free kick after Mamardashvili had denied Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Other Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive thrashing over Bulgaria to stay close to Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was one of the scorers.
• Italy boosted their prospects of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable win away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach said: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or our next opponents. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri missed out for the last two World Cups, twice missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now appears their most likely chance after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive hammering over the Israeli side in Group I. The Norwegians are leading on eighteen points from six games. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of Israel. The Estonian squad remain in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would secure second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch the group leaders on the table, the leaders’ far superior goal difference means a playoff spot likely awaits for the Italian squad.