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Rúben Neves came to the rescue for Portugal with a injury-time winner in their World Cup match against the Republic of Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Summary

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during injury time to secure a slender win, four years after Ronaldo had scored twice late on to defeat a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to leave Lisbon with a well-earned point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a gritty performance that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

However, the loss puts them facing elimination, with their initial trio of Group F games having produced only a solitary point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of claiming a qualifying place.

Key Moments

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have secured Ireland a point when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s shot had hit an Irish defender’s arm.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he headed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their chances of qualifying by picking up their first win with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, moving above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs gave his team the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber secured the points in late added time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 defeat at home to Albania, with the result 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 well-taken shot in first-half added time.

The Latvian side struggles in their group persisted as they were forced to a two-all tie at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera scored for the visitors late on from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their dominant qualifying group run with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The result continued the title holders’ flawless record in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three matches without conceding.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that passed most of the match defending deep. The home side controlled the encounter with over eighty percent of the ball, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a rout.

Pino opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a well-executed dead-ball move, and his compatriot wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a spectacular free kick after Mamardashvili had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 victory over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on the group leaders in their section. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was one of the goal-getters.
• Italy boosted their hopes of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, another attacker, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach said: “We’re not thinking about Norway or Israel. We know our responsibilities.”

Italy failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, twice missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now appears their primary opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are leading on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have twelve points with a game in hand on their competitors and are three points clear of Israel. Estonia remain in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team face their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a qualifying place probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.