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Rúben Neves came to the rescue for Portugal with a last-gasp winner in their World Cup match against Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had denied a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Summary

Neves headed home during injury time to claim a 1-0 triumph, several seasons after Ronaldo had scored twice late on to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a gritty performance that erased some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat puts them in a difficult position, with their first three Group F matches having yielded only a single point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of securing a qualifying place.

Key Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have secured Ireland a draw when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves saved Portugal in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Qualifying Results

Group F

Hungary boosted their hopes of advancing by securing their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, moving above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided his team the lead in the opening period and a teammate secured the points in late added time.

Group K

Serbia slipped to a 1-0 loss at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning England can now secure their passage from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken shot in first-half added time.

The Latvian side struggles in their group 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 initial draw of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Spain’s Group

Spain continued their impressive qualifying group run with a comfortable win over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The result continued the title holders’ perfect run in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three games without letting in a goal.

Despite the unavailability of players such as a talented winger, another forward, and Rodri due to injuries, the Spanish squad demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. The home side controlled the encounter with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a rout.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the first half from a well-executed set-piece routine, and his compatriot secured the victory in the second period with a stunning set-piece after the Georgian keeper had denied a Spanish player’s penalty.

Additional Results

• Turkey bounced back with a 6-1 thrashing over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in Group E. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was one of the goal-getters.
• Italy improved their prospects of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or Israel. We know what we have to do.”

The Azzurri missed out for the last two World Cups, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now appears their most likely opportunity after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in Group I. The Norwegians are top on eighteen points from six games. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their competitors and are three points ahead of their next opponents. Estonia stay fourth on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team face their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on points, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.