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Rúben Neves saved the day for the Portuguese side with a dramatic winner in their World Cup match against Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

Neves nodded in during added time to snatch a 1-0 triumph, four years after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to overcome a resilient Ireland team.

The Irish squad appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought draw, but in the end left empty-handed, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a gritty display that erased some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them in a difficult position, with their first three qualifying group games having produced only a solitary point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a playoff spot.

Key Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s effort had hit Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of stoppage time when he headed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Results

Portugal’s Group

Hungary enhanced their chances of advancing by picking up their first win with a 2-0 triumph over the Armenian side, moving above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs gave his team the advantage in the first half and a teammate made sure of the victory in second-half added time.

England’s Group

Serbia slipped to a narrow defeat at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning England can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the only goal for his team with a well-taken volley in late added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in Group K continued as they were held to a two-all tie at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team maintained their impressive Group E campaign with a 2-0 victory over Georgia after goals from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The result continued the European champions’ flawless run in the qualifiers, having notched eleven strikes in three games without letting in a goal.

Despite the unavailability of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to injuries, the Spanish squad demonstrated their dominance against a Georgian team that passed most of the match defending deep. The home side dominated the encounter with more than 80% possession, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball move, and his compatriot wrapped up the victory in the second period with a stunning free kick after Mamardashvili had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Additional Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 victory over Bulgaria to stay close to the group leaders in their section. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad boosted their hopes of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach said: “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, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their primary chance after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 win over Israel in their qualifying group. Norway are leading on 18 points from six games. The Italians have twelve points with a match less played on their competitors and are a trio of points clear of Israel. The Estonian squad remain in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly 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 catch Norway on points, the Norwegians’ far superior goal ratio means a qualifying place probably awaits for the Italian squad.