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Rúben Neves came to the rescue for Portugal with a dramatic decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying clash against Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had saved a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Overview

The Wolves midfielder headed home during added time to snatch a narrow victory, four years after the star striker had scored twice at the death to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but in the end left empty-handed, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a battling display that overshadowed 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 produced only a single draw. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a qualifying place.

Key Moments

• Kelleher seemed to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the first minute of stoppage time when he headed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Other Group Results

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their chances of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, climbing above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the lead in the first half and a teammate secured the points in late added time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now seal their qualification from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the only goal for Albania with a neat volley in late added time.

Latvia difficulties in their group continued as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera scored for the away side late on from time to earn them their first point of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their impressive Group E run with a comfortable win over the Georgian side after strikes from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in Elche. The result continued the European champions’ perfect run in qualifying, having notched 11 goals in three matches without conceding.

In spite of the absence of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. Spain dominated the encounter with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the second period with a stunning set-piece after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Additional Results

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a 6-1 victory over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in their section. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was one of the goal-getters.
• Italy improved their prospects of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to Estonia, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach commented: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or Israel. We are aware of what we have to do.”

Italy missed out for the last two World Cups, on two occasions falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now looks their most likely opportunity after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 hammering over Israel in Group I. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six games. The Italians have twelve points with a match less played on their rivals and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. Estonia stay in fourth place on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the World Cup, with the runners-up going into the playoffs.

The Italian national team host their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would secure second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.