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Rúben Neves was the hero for the Portuguese side with a dramatic decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying encounter against Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

Neves found the net during injury time to snatch a slender win, four years after the star striker had scored twice at the death to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite restoring a significant amount of honor with a battling performance 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 first three qualifying group games having yielded only a single draw. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a qualifying spot.

Major Moments

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a point 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 came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of added time when he headed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Group Results

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of advancing by securing their first win with a 2-0 triumph over the Armenian side, moving above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs gave Hungary the advantage in the first half and a teammate secured the victory in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

Serbia slipped to a narrow loss at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning England can now secure their passage from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the only goal for his team with a neat shot in late added time.

Latvia difficulties in their group persisted as they were held to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera found the net for the away side late on from time to claim them their first point of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Spain’s Group

Spain maintained their impressive qualifying group run with a 2-0 victory over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win continued the European champions’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having notched eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their dominance against a Georgia team that spent most of the match defending deep. The home side dominated the match with over eighty percent possession, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper their keeper preventing a rout.

Pino opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken set-piece routine, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the win in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after Mamardashvili had denied a Spanish player’s penalty.

Other Scores

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a 6-1 thrashing over Bulgaria to stay close to the group leaders in their section. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad boosted their prospects of at least reaching the knockout stage with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

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

Italy failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the feared backdoor route now appears their primary chance after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive hammering over the Israeli side in Group I. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six matches. The Italians have 12 points with a match less played on their competitors and are three points ahead of their next opponents. The Estonian squad remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the playoffs.

Italy face Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically overtake Norway on points, the leaders’ far superior goal ratio means a playoff spot likely beckons for the Italian squad.