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Rúben Neves was the hero for Portugal with a dramatic decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying encounter against the Republic of Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had saved a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

Neves found the net during injury time to claim a narrow victory, four years after the star striker had scored twice late on to overcome a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to leave Lisbon with a well-earned point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of honor with a gritty performance that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

However, the defeat puts them staring down the barrel, with their first three Group F games having produced only a solitary point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of claiming a playoff spot.

Major Moments

• Kelleher seemed to have earned Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s shot had hit an Irish defender’s arm.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the opening moments of stoppage time when he headed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Results

Group F

Hungary boosted their hopes of qualifying by securing their first win with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, moving above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in the standings. Daniel Lukacs gave his team the lead in the first half and Zsombor Gruber secured the victory in second-half added time.

England’s Group

Serbia slipped to a narrow defeat at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning England can now secure their qualification from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the only goal for Albania with a well-taken shot in first-half stoppage time.

Latvia struggles in their group continued as they were held to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their first point of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Group E

Spain maintained their dominant qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The result continued the European champions’ flawless record in qualifying, having scored eleven strikes in three games without letting in a goal.

Despite the unavailability of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that spent most of the match defending deep. Spain dominated the encounter with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or generate a clear chance, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a rout.

Pino opened the scoring in the first half from a well-executed set-piece routine, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Other Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a comprehensive thrashing over the Bulgarian side to stay close to Spain in Group E. Real Madrid’s a young talent was one of the scorers.
• The Italian squad boosted their hopes of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or Israel. We are aware of what we have to do.”

Italy failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, on two occasions missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now appears their primary opportunity after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 hammering over Israel in Group I. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad stay in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the qualifying stage.

Italy host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on points, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a playoff spot likely beckons for the Italian squad.