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Rúben Neves came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a dramatic winning goal in their World Cup match against Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had saved a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Summary

The Wolves midfielder found the net during stoppage time to snatch a narrow triumph, four years after Ronaldo had scored twice at the death 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 regaining a good deal of honor with a battling performance that erased some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them facing elimination, with their first three Group F games having produced only a solitary draw. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of securing a playoff place.

Major Moments

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

Additional Group Results

Portugal’s Group

Hungary enhanced their chances of advancing by securing their first win with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs gave Hungary the advantage in the opening period and a teammate secured the points in late added time.

England’s Group

Serbia suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now secure their passage from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for his team with a neat shot in late stoppage time.

Latvia struggles in Group K persisted as they were held to a 2-2 draw at home by Andorra. An Andorran player scored for the away side 12 minutes from time to earn them their first point of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their impressive qualifying group run with a comfortable win over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The win extended the title holders’ perfect record in the qualifiers, having notched eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that spent most of the match sitting back. The home side controlled the match with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only goalkeeper their keeper preventing a heavy defeat.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece move, and his compatriot wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

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 among the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable win away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach commented: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or our next opponents. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the previous two World Cups, on two occasions missing out in the playoffs, and the feared backdoor route now looks their primary opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 hammering over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. 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 clear of their next opponents. The Estonian squad stay fourth on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the tournament, with the runners-up going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake Norway on points, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.