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Rúben Neves came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a injury-time winner in their World Cup encounter against Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

Neves nodded in during added time to secure a 1-0 victory, several seasons after the star striker had scored twice at the death to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

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

Nevertheless, the defeat leaves them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of Group F games having yielded only a solitary point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of securing a qualifying spot.

Major Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have earned Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s shot had hit Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Qualifying Results

Group F

Hungary enhanced their hopes of advancing by securing their initial victory with a two-goal victory over Armenia, climbing above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs gave Hungary the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the victory in second-half stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 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. Rey Manaj netted the only goal for Albania with a neat shot in late added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in Group K persisted as they were held to a two-all draw at home by Andorra. An Andorran player scored for the away side 12 minutes from time to claim them their first point of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Group E

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

In spite of the unavailability of players such as a talented winger, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their superiority against a Georgia team that passed the majority of the game defending deep. The home side dominated the match with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a heavy defeat.

Pino broke the deadlock in the first half from a well-executed dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had denied a Spanish player’s penalty.

Other Results

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a comprehensive thrashing over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was one of the scorers.
• Italy boosted their hopes of at least reaching the knockout stage with a 3-1 victory away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach commented: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or our next opponents. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri missed out for the last two global tournaments, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now appears their most likely chance after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive hammering over the Israeli side in Group I. The Norwegians are top on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have twelve points with a game in hand on their competitors and are a trio of points ahead of their next opponents. The Estonian squad stay in fourth place on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the qualifying stage.

Italy face their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a qualifying place likely beckons for the Italian squad.