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Rúben Neves was the hero for the Portuguese side with a dramatic winner in their World Cup qualifying encounter against Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had denied a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Game Summary

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during injury time to secure a 1-0 win, four years after the star striker had scored twice at the death to overcome a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of honor with a battling performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having produced only a single draw. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a qualifying place.

Major Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a point when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s shot had hit an Irish defender’s hand.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the first minute of added time when he directed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Other Qualifying Results

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team enhanced their hopes of advancing by picking up their first win with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, moving above their rivals into second place behind the group leaders in the standings. Daniel Lukacs provided his team the advantage in the first half and a teammate secured the points in second-half added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to Albania, with the result meaning England can now seal their qualification from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the only goal for his team with a neat shot in late added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in their group continued as they were forced to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their first point of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Group E

The Spanish national team continued their dominant Group E campaign with a comfortable win over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win continued the European champions’ flawless run in qualifying, having scored eleven strikes in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of the absence of players such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. The home side controlled the encounter with over eighty percent of the ball, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece move, and his compatriot wrapped up the victory in the second period with a stunning set-piece after the Georgian keeper had saved a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Other Scores

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive thrashing over the Bulgarian side to stay close to the group leaders in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was one of the goal-getters.
• Italy boosted their prospects of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, another attacker, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach said: “We’re not thinking about Norway or Israel. We know what we have to do.”

Italy missed out for the previous two World Cups, on two occasions falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now looks their primary opportunity after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 win over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are top on eighteen points from six games. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of Israel. Estonia stay in fourth place on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the runners-up going into the playoffs.

The Italian national team host Israel on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a qualifying place likely beckons for the Italian squad.