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Rúben Neves came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp winning goal in their World Cup match against the Republic of Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had saved a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Summary

Neves headed home during added time to snatch a narrow win, four years after the star striker had scored twice at the death to overcome a resilient Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought draw, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a gritty performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss puts them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of Group F games having produced only a solitary draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a qualifying spot.

Key Moments

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have earned Ireland a point when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s effort had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary enhanced their hopes of qualifying by securing their first win with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, moving above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave 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 1-0 defeat at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the only goal for Albania with a well-taken volley in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in their group continued as they were forced to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera scored for the visitors late on from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Group E

The Spanish national team continued their impressive Group E campaign with a comfortable victory over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The result continued the title holders’ flawless run in the qualifiers, having scored eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that spent the majority of the game defending deep. Spain controlled the encounter with over eighty percent possession, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper their keeper preventing a rout.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the first half from a well-executed set-piece move, and his compatriot wrapped up the win in the second period with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Additional Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 thrashing over Bulgaria to stay close to Spain in Group E. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the scorers.
• Italy boosted their prospects of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable win away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, another attacker, and a third scorer.

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

Italy missed out for the last two global tournaments, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now appears their primary chance after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in Group I. Norway are top on 18 points from six games. The Italians have twelve points with a game in hand on their competitors and are three points ahead of their next opponents. Estonia stay fourth on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the qualifying stage.

Italy host Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on the table, the leaders’ far superior goal ratio means a playoff spot likely awaits for the Italian squad.