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Rúben Neves saved the day for the Portuguese side with a dramatic winning goal in their World Cup encounter against Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had denied a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Overview

Neves headed home during injury time to secure a 1-0 triumph, several seasons after the star striker had scored twice at the death to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought point, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of honor with a gritty display that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of Group F games having yielded only a single draw. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of securing a playoff place.

Major Incidents

• Kelleher looked 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.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of added time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Group Results

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their hopes of qualifying by securing their initial victory with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, climbing above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the advantage in the first half and a teammate made sure of the points in late added time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 loss at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now secure their passage from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the only goal for his team with a neat volley in late added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in Group K persisted as they were held to a two-all 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 extend Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their dominant Group E run with a comfortable win over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The win extended the title holders’ flawless run in the qualifiers, having notched 11 goals in three games without letting in a goal.

Despite the absence of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgia team that spent the majority of the game sitting back. The home side dominated the encounter with more than 80% possession, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or create a clear chance, with only goalkeeper their keeper preventing a heavy defeat.

Pino opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a well-executed dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the second period with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Additional Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a 6-1 thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or our next opponents. We are aware of what we have to do.”

Italy missed out for the last two World Cups, on two occasions missing out in the playoffs, and the feared backdoor route now looks their most likely chance after Norway’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in Group I. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have twelve points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points clear of Israel. The Estonian squad remain in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

The Italian national team face their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically overtake the group leaders on points, the leaders’ far superior goal difference means a qualifying place likely awaits for the Italian squad.