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Rúben Neves came to the rescue for Portugal with a dramatic decisive strike in their World Cup clash against the Republic of Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had denied a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Overview

The Wolves midfielder headed home during added time to secure a 1-0 win, several seasons after the star striker had scored twice late on to defeat a stubborn 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 regaining a significant amount of honor with a gritty display that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of Group F matches having produced only a single point. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of claiming a playoff place.

Key Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s effort had struck Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Results

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their hopes of qualifying by securing their initial victory with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, climbing above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the lead in the opening period and a teammate secured the victory in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

Serbia suffered a narrow loss at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the decisive strike for his team with a neat shot in late added time.

The Latvian side struggles in their group persisted as they were forced to a two-all 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 prolong Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Group E

Spain maintained their dominant Group E run with a comfortable victory over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The win extended the title holders’ flawless record in qualifying, having scored 11 goals in three matches without conceding.

Despite the unavailability of players such as a talented winger, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that passed most of the match defending deep. Spain controlled the match with more than 80% of the ball, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

Pino opened the scoring in the first half from a well-executed set-piece routine, and Oyarzabal secured the victory in the second period with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied a Spanish player’s penalty.

Additional Results

• Turkey bounced back with a comprehensive victory over the Bulgarian side to stay close to the group leaders in Group E. Real Madrid’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 Estonia, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach said: “We’re not thinking about Norway or our next opponents. We are aware of what we have to do.”

Italy missed out for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded playoff path now appears their primary opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive hammering over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are leading on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have twelve points with a match less played on their competitors and are three points ahead of their next opponents. The Estonian squad stay fourth on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering 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 catch the group leaders on points, the leaders’ far superior goal ratio means a playoff spot probably beckons for the Italian squad.