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Rúben Neves was the hero for the Portuguese side with a injury-time winner in their World Cup qualifying match against Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Overview

The Wolves midfielder found the net during injury time to secure a 1-0 victory, four years after Ronaldo had scored twice at the death to defeat a stubborn Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought draw, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a gritty display that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

However, the loss puts them in a difficult position, with their first three qualifying group matches having yielded only a solitary draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of securing a playoff spot.

Key Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s effort had struck an Irish defender’s hand.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of stoppage time when he headed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Other Qualifying Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team enhanced their hopes of qualifying by securing their initial victory with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, climbing above their rivals into second place behind Portugal in Group F. Daniel Lukacs gave his team the advantage in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the victory in second-half added time.

Group K

Serbia suffered a narrow defeat at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the only goal for Albania with a neat shot in late added time.

Latvia struggles in Group K persisted as they were forced to a two-all draw at home by Andorra. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors late on from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team maintained their impressive qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after goals from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in Elche. The win continued the European champions’ flawless run in the qualifiers, having notched eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

Despite the absence of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their superiority against a Georgia team that passed most of the match sitting back. The home side controlled the encounter with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or create a clear chance, with only goalkeeper their keeper averting a rout.

The scorer opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a expertly taken dead-ball move, and Oyarzabal secured the victory in the second period with a stunning set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Other Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive victory over Bulgaria to stay close to the group leaders in Group E. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was one of the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, another attacker, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or Israel. We know what we have to do.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the feared backdoor route now looks their most likely opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive hammering over Israel in their qualifying group. Norway are top on eighteen points from six matches. Italy have 12 points with a match less played on their competitors and are three points ahead of their next opponents. The Estonian squad stay fourth on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, with the runners-up going into the qualifying stage.

Italy host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch the group leaders on points, the leaders’ far superior goal ratio means a qualifying place likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.