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Rúben Neves was the hero for the Portuguese side with a dramatic winning goal in their World Cup encounter against the Republic of Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Summary

The Wolves midfielder found the net during added time to snatch a 1-0 victory, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace at the death to overcome a resilient Ireland team.

The Irish squad looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a gritty performance that erased some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss puts them facing elimination, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having produced only a single draw. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a playoff spot.

Major Moments

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s effort had struck Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of stoppage time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Group Results

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their hopes of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal triumph over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in Group F. Daniel Lukacs gave Hungary the lead in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber secured the victory in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

Serbia suffered a 1-0 loss at home to Albania, with the result meaning England can now seal their qualification from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the only goal for his team with a neat shot in late added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in Group K continued as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera scored for the visitors late on from time to claim them their first point of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team maintained their impressive qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 victory over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in Elche. The result continued the title holders’ perfect record in the qualifiers, having notched 11 goals in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their superiority against a Georgia team that spent most of the match sitting back. The home side controlled the encounter with over eighty percent of the ball, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or create a clear chance, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

Pino opened the scoring in the first half from a well-executed set-piece move, and his compatriot secured the victory in the second period with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper 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 their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was one of the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to Estonia, thanks to goals from a forward, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “We’re not thinking about Norway or our next opponents. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two global tournaments, twice falling short in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their primary chance after Norway’s 5-0 hammering over Israel in Group I. Norway are top on 18 points from six matches. The Italians have twelve points with a game in hand on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of their next opponents. Estonia remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake Norway on points, the Norwegians’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place probably awaits for the Italian squad.