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Rúben Neves came to the rescue for Portugal with a injury-time winner in their World Cup qualifying match against the Republic of Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had denied a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Game Summary

Neves headed home during added time to secure a slender triumph, four years after the star striker had scored twice late on to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to leave Lisbon with a well-earned draw, but in the end suffered defeat, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a gritty performance that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

However, the loss puts them facing elimination, with their first three Group F matches having produced only a solitary draw. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming a qualifying spot.

Major Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’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 Results

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their chances of advancing by picking up their first win with a 2-0 victory over the Armenian side, moving above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs provided Hungary the advantage in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber secured the points in second-half added time.

Group K

Serbia suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken volley in late added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in their group continued as they were forced to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors late on from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team maintained their dominant qualifying group run with a comfortable victory over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win continued the European champions’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three matches without conceding.

Despite the unavailability of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad demonstrated their superiority against a Georgia team that spent the majority of the game sitting back. The home side dominated the match with over eighty percent of the ball, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a rout.

Pino broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece move, and his compatriot secured the victory in the 64th minute with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Other Scores

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a 6-1 victory over Bulgaria to stay close to the group leaders in their section. The Spanish club’s a young talent was among the scorers.
• Italy boosted their hopes of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, another attacker, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “We’re not thinking about Norway or Israel. We know what we have to do.”

Italy failed to qualify for the previous two World Cups, twice falling short in the playoffs, and the feared backdoor route now looks their most likely chance after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive hammering over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are leading on 18 points from six games. The Italians have twelve points with a game in hand on their competitors and are three points ahead of Israel. Estonia remain fourth on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the qualifying stage.

Italy face Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on points, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a qualifying place likely beckons for the Italian squad.