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Rúben Neves was the hero for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp winning goal in their World Cup qualifying clash against Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a penalty from the veteran forward.

Match Overview

Neves nodded in during injury time to snatch a 1-0 victory, four years after Ronaldo had scored twice at the death to defeat a stubborn Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned point, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a battling performance that erased some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

However, the defeat puts them facing elimination, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having yielded only a single draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of securing a qualifying place.

Key Incidents

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s effort had hit an Irish defender’s arm.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary enhanced their chances of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, moving above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs provided his team the advantage in the first half and a teammate secured the victory in second-half added time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now secure their qualification from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for his team with a neat volley in first-half added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in Group K persisted as they were forced to a 2-2 tie at home by Andorra. An Andorran player scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their first point of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Spain’s Group

Spain maintained their dominant Group E campaign with a comfortable win over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in Elche. The result extended the European champions’ flawless run in qualifying, having scored 11 goals in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their dominance against a Georgia team that spent most of the match sitting back. Spain controlled the encounter with more than 80% of the ball, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper their keeper preventing a heavy defeat.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken set-piece move, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the second period with a spectacular free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Additional Scores

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways 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 goal-getters.
• Italy improved their hopes of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable win away to Estonia, 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 our responsibilities.”

Italy failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, twice missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now looks their most likely opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in Group I. Norway are leading on 18 points from six matches. The Italians have twelve points with a game in hand on their competitors and are three points clear of Israel. The Estonian squad stay in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides entering the playoffs.

The Italian national team face their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ far superior goal ratio means a qualifying place probably awaits for the Italian squad.