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Rúben Neves saved the day for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp winning goal in their World Cup encounter against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had saved a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder headed home during added time to secure a slender win, several seasons after the star striker had scored twice late on to defeat a resilient Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a gritty performance 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 first three Group F games having yielded only a solitary draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming a playoff spot.

Major Incidents

• Kelleher seemed to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s effort had struck Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of added time when he headed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Additional Group Outcomes

Group F

Hungary enhanced their chances of advancing by picking up their first win with a 2-0 victory over the Armenian side, climbing above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in the standings. Daniel Lukacs provided Hungary the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber made sure of 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 the Three Lions can now seal their passage from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the only goal for Albania with a well-taken shot in late stoppage time.

Latvia difficulties in Group K continued as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera found the net for the away side late on from time to claim them their first point of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Group E

Spain continued their dominant qualifying group campaign with a comfortable victory over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The result extended the European champions’ flawless record in qualifying, having notched 11 goals in three matches without conceding.

Despite the unavailability of players such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad demonstrated their dominance against a Georgian team that passed the majority of the game defending deep. The home side dominated the match with more than 80% possession, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

Pino broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken dead-ball move, and his compatriot wrapped up the win in the second period with a stunning set-piece after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in their section. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was one of the scorers.
• Italy improved their prospects of at least making the knockout stage with a 3-1 win away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or our next opponents. We know our responsibilities.”

Italy failed to qualify for the previous two global tournaments, on two occasions missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now appears their most likely chance after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 hammering 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 ahead of their next opponents. Estonia remain fourth on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

Italy host Israel on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically overtake Norway on points, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a playoff spot probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.