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Rúben Neves saved the day for Portugal with a last-gasp decisive strike in their World Cup match against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Overview

The Wolves midfielder found the net during stoppage time to snatch a narrow victory, several seasons after the star striker had scored twice late on to overcome a stubborn Ireland team.

The Irish squad appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a battling display that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat puts them facing elimination, with their first three Group F games having yielded only a single point. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of claiming a qualifying place.

Major Incidents

• Kelleher seemed to have secured Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s effort had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of added time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

Hungary enhanced their chances of qualifying by securing their initial victory with a two-goal victory over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in Group F. Daniel Lukacs provided his team the lead in the opening period and a teammate secured the victory in late added time.

Group K

Serbia slipped to a narrow loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now secure their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken volley in late stoppage time.

Latvia struggles in their group continued as they were forced to a two-all tie at home by Andorra. An Andorran player found the net for the away side 12 minutes from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their impressive qualifying group campaign with a comfortable win over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win continued the title holders’ perfect record in the qualifiers, having notched eleven strikes in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that spent most of the match sitting back. The home side controlled the encounter with more than 80% of the ball, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a rout.

Pino broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a well-executed dead-ball move, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the second period with a stunning set-piece after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Additional Scores

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a 6-1 victory over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on Spain in their section. The Spanish club’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• Italy boosted their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach said: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or Israel. We know what we have to do.”

Italy failed to qualify for the previous 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 5-0 win over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are leading on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have twelve points with a match less played on their rivals and are three points ahead of Israel. Estonia remain in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, with the runners-up going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would secure second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on points, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place likely beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.