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Rúben Neves was the hero for Portugal with a last-gasp decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying match against the Republic of Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

Neves headed home during injury time to snatch a slender triumph, four years after Ronaldo had scored twice at the death to defeat a resilient Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought draw, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a gritty display that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

However, the loss puts them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of Group F matches having produced only a single draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming a qualifying place.

Major Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have secured Ireland a point when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s effort had struck Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves 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.

Other Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

Hungary enhanced their hopes of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal victory over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in the standings. Daniel Lukacs gave Hungary the lead in the first half and a teammate made sure of the victory in late added time.

England’s Group

Serbia slipped to a 1-0 defeat at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning England can now seal their qualification from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for Albania with a neat volley in first-half added time.

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

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their impressive Group E campaign with a 2-0 win over Georgia after strikes from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win extended the title holders’ flawless record in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three games without letting in a goal.

Despite the absence of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their dominance against a Georgia team that passed most of the match defending deep. 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 clear chance, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a rout.

The scorer opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a well-executed dead-ball routine, and his compatriot secured the win in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had denied a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Other Scores

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a 6-1 victory over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on the group leaders in their section. The Spanish club’s a young talent was one of the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

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

The Azzurri missed out for the last two global tournaments, twice falling short in the playoffs, and the feared playoff path now looks their primary opportunity after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in Group I. The Norwegians are top on eighteen points from six matches. Italy have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of Israel. Estonia remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

The Italian national team face their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically overtake the group leaders on points, the Norwegians’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.