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Rúben Neves was the hero for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp winner in their World Cup encounter against the Republic of Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Summary

The Wolves midfielder headed home during injury time to claim a narrow triumph, several seasons after Ronaldo had scored twice late on to defeat a stubborn Ireland team.

The Irish squad appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought draw, but in the end suffered defeat, despite restoring a good deal of honor with a battling performance that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

However, the defeat leaves them staring down the barrel, with their first three qualifying group games having yielded only a solitary point. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a playoff spot.

Key Moments

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have earned Ireland a draw when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s effort had hit an Irish defender’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of added time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Results

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of qualifying by picking up their first win with a 2-0 victory over the Armenian side, climbing above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the lead in the first half and a teammate made sure of the victory in second-half added time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now seal their qualification from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken shot in late added time.

Latvia difficulties in their group persisted as they were held to a 2-2 draw at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera found the net for the away side late on from time to earn them their first point of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Group E

Spain maintained their impressive qualifying group campaign with a comfortable win over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The result extended the European champions’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having notched eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

Despite the absence of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that spent most of the match defending deep. The home side dominated the match with more than 80% of the ball, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper their keeper preventing a rout.

The scorer opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a well-executed dead-ball move, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the second period with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied a Spanish player’s penalty.

Additional Scores

• Turkey bounced back with a 6-1 victory over Bulgaria to stay close to the group leaders in their section. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was one of the goal-getters.
• Italy improved their hopes of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

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

Italy missed out for the previous two global tournaments, on two occasions falling short in the playoffs, and the dreaded backdoor route now looks their most likely opportunity after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 hammering over the Israeli side in Group I. The Norwegians are top on eighteen points from six games. Italy have twelve points with a match less played on their competitors and are a trio of points clear of their next opponents. Estonia stay in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the runners-up entering the qualifying stage.

Italy face Israel on Tuesday, where a win would secure second spot and, while they can still theoretically overtake the group leaders on points, the leaders’ far superior goal ratio means a playoff spot likely awaits for the Italian squad.