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Rúben Neves was the hero for Portugal with a last-gasp decisive strike in their World Cup match against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had saved a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Summary

Neves nodded in during injury time to secure a narrow triumph, four years after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to overcome a resilient Ireland team.

The Irish squad looked set to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought draw, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of honor with a battling performance that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

However, the loss puts them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of qualifying group matches having produced only a single point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of claiming a qualifying spot.

Key Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have secured Ireland a point when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of added time when he headed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Other Group Results

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their hopes of qualifying by securing their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, moving above their rivals into second place behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided his team the lead in the first half and Zsombor Gruber secured the victory in late added time.

Group K

Serbia suffered a narrow loss at home to Albania, with the result meaning England can now seal their qualification from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the only goal for his team with a neat shot in first-half added time.

The Latvian side struggles in their group persisted as they were forced to a two-all draw at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera scored for the away side 12 minutes from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their dominant qualifying group campaign with a comfortable win over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in Elche. The result continued the European champions’ flawless record in qualifying, having scored eleven strikes in three matches without conceding.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as a talented winger, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that passed most of the match sitting back. The home side dominated the encounter with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper their keeper averting a rout.

The scorer opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece routine, and his compatriot wrapped up the victory in the second period with a spectacular free kick after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Additional Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad boosted their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a comfortable win away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach said: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or Israel. We know what we have to do.”

The Azzurri missed out for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their primary opportunity after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 hammering over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. Norway are top on 18 points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a match less played on their competitors and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. Estonia stay fourth on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides entering the playoffs.

The Italian national team host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically catch the group leaders on points, the leaders’ far superior goal ratio means a playoff spot probably beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.