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Rúben Neves came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp winner in their World Cup match against Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

Neves found the net during injury time to secure a slender triumph, four years after the star striker had scored twice late on to defeat a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought draw, but in the end suffered defeat, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a gritty display that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

However, the loss puts them in a difficult position, with their first three Group F games having yielded only a single draw. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of claiming a qualifying spot.

Major Moments

• Kelleher seemed to have earned Ireland a draw when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s effort had struck Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he headed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Other Group Results

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of advancing by securing their first win with a 2-0 victory over the Armenian side, moving above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided his team the lead in the first half and a teammate made sure of the victory in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

Serbia suffered a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now secure their passage from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the decisive strike for his team with a neat shot in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K continued as they were forced to a two-all tie at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera found the net for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Spain’s Group

Spain maintained their dominant Group E run with a 2-0 win over Georgia after goals from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The result extended the title holders’ perfect record in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that spent most of the match defending deep. Spain dominated the encounter with over eighty percent possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or create a clear chance, with only goalkeeper their keeper preventing a rout.

The scorer opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a expertly taken dead-ball move, and his compatriot secured the victory in the 64th minute with a spectacular free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Additional Results

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a comprehensive thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was one of the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad boosted their prospects of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach commented: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or our next opponents. We are aware of what we have to do.”

Italy missed out for the previous two global tournaments, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now appears their primary chance after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in Group I. Norway are leading on 18 points from six games. Italy have twelve points with a match less played on their competitors and are a trio of points ahead of their next opponents. The Estonian squad remain fourth on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the runners-up going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake the group leaders on points, the Norwegians’ far superior goal ratio means a playoff spot likely beckons for the Italian squad.