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Rúben Neves saved the day for Portugal with a dramatic winning goal in their World Cup qualifying clash against Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Overview

Neves headed home during injury time to snatch a 1-0 win, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to defeat a resilient Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned point, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite restoring a significant amount of pride with a battling performance that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them in a difficult position, with their first three qualifying group matches having produced only a solitary draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of claiming a qualifying place.

Major Incidents

• Kelleher seemed to have secured Ireland a point when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s effort had hit an Irish defender’s hand.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Other Qualifying Results

Portugal’s Group

Hungary enhanced their hopes of qualifying by picking up their first win with a two-goal triumph over Armenia, moving above their rivals into second place behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave his team the lead in the first half and a teammate made sure of the points in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

Serbia suffered a narrow loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning England can now seal their qualification from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken volley in first-half added time.

The Latvian side struggles in their group persisted as they were held to a 2-2 draw at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera found the net for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their impressive qualifying group run with a comfortable victory over Georgia after goals from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win extended the European champions’ perfect run in qualifying, having scored 11 goals in three matches without letting in a goal.

Despite the unavailability of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that passed the majority of the game defending deep. Spain controlled the match with over eighty percent 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 opened the scoring in the first half from a well-executed dead-ball routine, and his compatriot wrapped up the victory in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after Mamardashvili had denied a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Other Scores

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a 6-1 thrashing over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad boosted their hopes of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, another attacker, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or our next opponents. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

Italy failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions missing out in the playoffs, and the feared backdoor route now looks their most likely opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive hammering over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are top on eighteen points from six matches. Italy have twelve points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points clear of their next opponents. The Estonian squad stay in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the qualifying stage.

Italy face their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still theoretically overtake Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a qualifying place probably beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.