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Rúben Neves saved the day for Portugal with a injury-time decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying match against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Overview

The Wolves midfielder headed home during added time to snatch a 1-0 triumph, several seasons after Ronaldo had scored twice at the death to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of honor with a battling performance that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

However, the defeat puts them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having produced only a single point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a qualifying place.

Key Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have earned Ireland a point when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s shot had struck an Irish defender’s hand.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the opening moments of added time when he headed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Group Results

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of qualifying by securing their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, moving above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided his team the lead in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the victory in second-half added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now seal their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken shot in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side difficulties in Group K continued as they were held to a two-all tie at home by Andorra. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors late on from time to claim them their first point of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Group E

The Spanish national team continued their dominant Group E campaign with a 2-0 victory over Georgia after strikes from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The win extended the title holders’ flawless run in qualifying, having notched 11 goals in three games without letting in a goal.

Despite the unavailability of players such as a talented winger, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgia team that passed most of the match sitting back. The home side dominated the match with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper their keeper preventing a heavy defeat.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball move, and his compatriot wrapped up the win in the 64th minute with a spectacular free kick after Mamardashvili had denied a Spanish player’s penalty.

Additional Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a comprehensive thrashing over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was one of the scorers.
• Italy boosted their prospects of at least making the knockout stage with a 3-1 victory away to Estonia, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or Israel. We know what we have to do.”

Italy failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, on two occasions missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now looks their most likely opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 win over Israel in Group I. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six matches. Italy have twelve points with a match less played on their competitors and are three points clear of their next opponents. The Estonian squad remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the World Cup, with the runners-up going into the playoffs.

Italy host Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would secure second spot and, while they can still theoretically overtake the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.