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Rúben Neves saved the day for Portugal with a last-gasp decisive strike in their World Cup encounter against Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

Neves headed home during added time to snatch a 1-0 victory, several seasons after Ronaldo had bagged a brace at the death to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to leave Lisbon with a well-earned point, but in the end suffered defeat, despite restoring a significant amount of honor with a battling performance that erased some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

However, the defeat puts them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of Group F matches having produced only a single point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming a qualifying place.

Key Moments

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s effort had hit Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of added time when he directed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Additional Group Results

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team enhanced their hopes of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal victory over Armenia, moving above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in the standings. Daniel Lukacs provided Hungary the lead in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the points in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team suffered a narrow defeat at home to Albania, with the result meaning England can now secure their qualification from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken volley in first-half stoppage time.

Latvia struggles in their group persisted as they were forced to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the visitors late on from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Group E

Spain continued their impressive qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 victory over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The result extended the title holders’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having notched eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

In spite of the absence of players such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that passed most of the match sitting back. The home side controlled the encounter with more than 80% of the ball, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or create a clear chance, with only goalkeeper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken dead-ball move, and Oyarzabal secured the victory in the second period with a spectacular free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Additional Scores

• Turkey bounced back with a comprehensive thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on Spain in Group E. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable win away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

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

Italy missed out for the previous two global tournaments, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the feared backdoor route now looks their most likely chance after Norway’s comprehensive hammering over Israel in their qualifying group. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six games. 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 fourth on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team face their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ far superior goal ratio means a qualifying place likely awaits for the Italian squad.