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Rúben Neves came to the rescue for Portugal with a dramatic winning goal in their World Cup qualifying encounter against Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had denied a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Summary

The Wolves midfielder headed home during injury time to claim a narrow triumph, four years after the star striker had scored twice late on to overcome a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of pride with a gritty performance that erased some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

However, the loss puts them staring down the barrel, with their first three qualifying group games having yielded only a solitary point. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming a playoff place.

Major Moments

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have earned Ireland a draw when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s shot had struck an Irish defender’s hand.
• Neves saved Portugal in the opening moments of added time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Group Outcomes

Group F

Hungary boosted their chances of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, climbing above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the lead in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the victory in second-half stoppage time.

Group K

Serbia suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now secure their qualification from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the only goal for Albania with a well-taken volley in first-half added time.

Latvia 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 visitors late on from time to earn them their first point of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their dominant qualifying group run with a comfortable victory over the Georgian side after goals from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The result extended the European champions’ perfect run in qualifying, having notched 11 goals in three games without letting in a goal.

Despite the absence of players such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that passed the majority of the game defending deep. Spain dominated the encounter with over eighty percent of the ball, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a rout.

Pino broke the deadlock 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 a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Additional Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 victory over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was one of the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a 3-1 win away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or Israel. We know our responsibilities.”

Italy missed out for the previous two global tournaments, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their primary chance after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive hammering over Israel in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six matches. Italy have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad stay fourth on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the playoffs.

Italy host Israel on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on the table, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place probably beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.