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Rúben Neves came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp decisive strike in their World Cup clash against Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a penalty from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

Neves nodded in during stoppage time to snatch a narrow win, four years after the star striker had bagged a brace at the death to defeat a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but in the end suffered defeat, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a battling display that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of Group F games having yielded only a solitary point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of claiming a playoff spot.

Major Moments

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s effort had struck an Irish defender’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

Hungary enhanced their chances of advancing by securing their first win with a two-goal victory over Armenia, moving above their rivals into second place behind the group leaders in the standings. Daniel Lukacs provided Hungary the lead in the first half and a teammate made sure of the points in second-half stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning England can now seal their passage from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the only goal for Albania with a neat volley in first-half added time.

Latvia struggles in Group K persisted as they were forced to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera found the net for the visitors late on from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their impressive Group E campaign with a 2-0 win over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win continued the European champions’ perfect record in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that passed the majority of the game defending deep. The home side dominated the match 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 well-executed set-piece routine, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the 64th minute with a spectacular set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Other Scores

• Turkey bounced back 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 one of the scorers.
• Italy boosted their prospects of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or our next opponents. We are aware of what we have to do.”

Italy failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now appears their most likely chance after Norway’s 5-0 win over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are leading on 18 points from six matches. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of Israel. Estonia remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the playoffs.

The Italian national team host Israel on Tuesday, where a win would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on points, the leaders’ far superior goal ratio means a qualifying place likely awaits for the Italian squad.