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Rúben Neves was the hero for Portugal with a injury-time winning goal in their World Cup encounter against Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

Neves nodded in during injury time to secure a narrow triumph, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to defeat a stubborn Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of honor with a battling performance that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them staring down the barrel, with their first three Group F matches having produced only a solitary draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of securing a playoff spot.

Key Incidents

• Kelleher seemed to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s shot had hit an Irish defender’s hand.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of added time when he directed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Results

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team boosted their chances of advancing by securing their first win with a 2-0 triumph over the Armenian side, climbing above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided his team the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber secured the victory in late stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a narrow defeat at home to Albania, with the result meaning England can now secure their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the only goal for Albania with a neat shot in first-half added time.

Latvia difficulties in Group K persisted as they were held to a two-all tie at home by Andorra. An Andorran player scored for the away side late on from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Group E

The Spanish national team continued their impressive qualifying group campaign with a comfortable victory over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The win extended the title holders’ flawless 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, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game sitting back. The home side controlled the encounter with more than 80% of the ball, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a heavy defeat.

Pino opened the scoring in the first half from a well-executed set-piece routine, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the win in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had saved a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Other Scores

• Turkey bounced back with a 6-1 victory over the Bulgarian side to stay close to Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was among the scorers.
• Italy improved their prospects of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable win away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach commented: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or Israel. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two global tournaments, twice missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now appears their most likely opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive hammering over Israel in Group I. Norway are top on eighteen points from six matches. Italy have 12 points with a game in hand on their competitors and are a trio of points clear of their next opponents. The Estonian squad stay fourth on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the playoffs.

Italy face Israel on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically overtake the group leaders on points, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place likely awaits for the Italian squad.