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Rúben Neves was the hero for the Portuguese side with a dramatic decisive strike in their World Cup clash against Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had denied a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

Neves nodded in during stoppage time to claim a narrow victory, four years after Ronaldo had scored twice at the death to defeat a resilient Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to leave Lisbon with a well-earned point, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of honor with a gritty display that erased some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

However, the defeat puts them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having yielded only a solitary point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of claiming a qualifying spot.

Major Moments

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have earned Ireland a point when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s effort had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of stoppage time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Qualifying Results

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their hopes of qualifying by securing their initial victory with a two-goal victory over Armenia, climbing above their rivals into second place behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the advantage in the first half and a teammate secured the victory in late stoppage time.

Group K

Serbia slipped to a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now secure their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the only goal for his team with a well-taken shot in first-half added time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K continued as they were held to a two-all tie at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera found the net for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their first point of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Group E

Spain maintained their dominant qualifying group run with a comfortable victory over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The win extended the European champions’ flawless run in the qualifiers, having scored eleven strikes in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that passed the majority of the game defending deep. The home side controlled the match with over eighty percent of the ball, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a rout.

Pino broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning set-piece after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 victory over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was one of the scorers.
• The Italian squad boosted their prospects of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or Israel. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two global tournaments, twice missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded playoff path now appears their primary chance after Norway’s 5-0 hammering over Israel in Group I. Norway are top on eighteen points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a match less played on their competitors and are three points ahead of their next opponents. The Estonian squad stay fourth on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the tournament, with the runners-up going into the playoffs.

Italy face their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically overtake the group leaders on points, the leaders’ far superior goal ratio means a qualifying place likely beckons for the Italian squad.