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

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder found the net during stoppage time to snatch a narrow win, four years after the star striker had bagged a brace at the death to defeat a resilient Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned point, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of honor with a battling performance that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

However, the defeat leaves them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of Group F games having produced only a solitary draw. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of securing a playoff spot.

Major Incidents

• Kelleher looked to have secured Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

Hungary boosted their hopes of advancing by securing their initial victory with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, moving above their rivals into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave his team the advantage in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber secured the points in second-half added time.

England’s Group

Serbia slipped to a 1-0 loss at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken volley in first-half stoppage time.

The Latvian side difficulties in their group continued as they were held to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the away side 12 minutes from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

Spain continued their impressive Group E run with a comfortable win over the Georgian side after goals from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The result extended the European champions’ flawless run in qualifying, having notched 11 goals in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the absence of players such as a talented winger, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game sitting back. The home side controlled the match with more than 80% of the ball, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper their keeper preventing a heavy defeat.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning set-piece after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was among the scorers.
• Italy boosted their hopes of at least reaching the knockout stage with a 3-1 win away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from a forward, another attacker, and a third scorer.

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

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the previous two global tournaments, on two occasions falling short in the playoffs, and the feared playoff path now looks their most likely opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive hammering over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. Norway 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 ahead of their next opponents. The Estonian squad remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the playoffs.

The Italian national team host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on points, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a playoff spot probably beckons for the Italian squad.