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Rúben Neves came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying encounter against Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

Neves headed home during stoppage time to snatch a narrow victory, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace at the death to overcome a stubborn Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of pride with a battling display that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss puts them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of Group F matches having yielded only a single point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of claiming a playoff place.

Key Moments

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s effort had struck an Irish defender’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of added time when he directed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Group Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their hopes of qualifying by securing their first win with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, moving above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave his team the advantage in the first half and a teammate secured the victory in second-half added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now seal their passage from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken shot in first-half stoppage time.

Latvia difficulties in their group continued as they were forced to a 2-2 draw at home by Andorra. An Andorran player scored for the visitors late on from time to claim them their first point of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Group E

Spain continued their dominant qualifying group run with a comfortable victory over the Georgian side after goals from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The win continued the title holders’ flawless run in the qualifiers, having notched eleven strikes in three games without letting in a goal.

Despite the absence of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to injuries, the Spanish squad demonstrated their superiority against a Georgia team that spent most of the match sitting back. Spain controlled the match with more than 80% of the ball, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a well-executed dead-ball move, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the 64th minute with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Additional Scores

• Turkey bounced back with a 6-1 thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad 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 Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or our next opponents. We are aware of what we have to do.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the previous two global tournaments, on two occasions missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now looks their most likely opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive hammering over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are top on eighteen points from six matches. Italy have twelve points with a match less played on their competitors and are a trio of points clear of Israel. The Estonian squad remain fourth on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the playoffs.

The Italian national team face their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically catch the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a playoff spot likely awaits for the Italian squad.