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Rúben Neves saved the day for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp winner in their World Cup qualifying encounter against Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had saved a penalty from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

Neves headed home during added time to snatch a slender victory, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to overcome a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but in the end suffered defeat, despite restoring a significant amount of honor with a battling performance that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

However, the defeat leaves them in a difficult position, with their first three Group F matches having produced only a solitary point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of claiming a qualifying spot.

Key Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have earned Ireland a point when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Results

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their chances of qualifying by securing their first win with a two-goal triumph over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided his team the lead in the opening period and a teammate secured the victory in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

Serbia slipped to a narrow 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 first-half added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in Group K persisted as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by Andorra. An Andorran player scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their first point of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their dominant qualifying group campaign with a comfortable win over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The win continued the title holders’ perfect record in qualifying, having notched 11 goals in three matches without conceding.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their dominance against a Georgia team that spent most of the match defending deep. The home side dominated the match with over eighty percent possession, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or create a clear chance, with only goalkeeper their keeper preventing a heavy defeat.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the first half from a expertly taken set-piece move, and Oyarzabal secured the victory in the 64th minute with a spectacular free kick after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Other Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over Bulgaria to stay close to Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the scorers.
• Italy improved their hopes of at least reaching the knockout stage with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, another attacker, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or our next opponents. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, twice falling short in the playoffs, and the feared backdoor route now appears their primary opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 win over Israel in Group I. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points clear of Israel. The Estonian squad remain fourth on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

Italy face Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch the group leaders on points, the Norwegians’ far superior goal ratio means a qualifying place probably beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.