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Rúben Neves was the hero for Portugal with a last-gasp decisive strike in their World Cup match against the Republic of Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Summary

The Wolves midfielder headed home during stoppage time to snatch a 1-0 victory, several seasons after Ronaldo had bagged a brace at the death to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of pride with a gritty display that erased some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

However, the loss puts them in a difficult position, with their first three Group F games having yielded only a solitary point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming a qualifying place.

Major Incidents

• Kelleher seemed to have earned Ireland a draw when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s shot had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Group Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of qualifying by securing their first win with a two-goal triumph over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave his team the lead in the first half and a teammate secured the victory in late added time.

Group K

Serbia slipped to a narrow defeat at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning England can now secure their qualification from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken volley in late stoppage time.

Latvia struggles in Group K continued as they were forced to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera scored for the away side 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Group E

Spain continued their dominant Group E run with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in Elche. The win continued the European champions’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having scored eleven strikes in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that spent most of the match defending deep. The home side controlled the match with over eighty percent possession, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a well-executed set-piece move, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning set-piece after Mamardashvili had denied Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Other Scores

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a comprehensive thrashing over the Bulgarian side to stay close to Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least making the knockout stage with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “We’re not thinking about Norway or our next opponents. We know what we have to do.”

Italy failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their primary chance after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 hammering over Israel in their qualifying group. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six games. The Italians have twelve points with a game in hand on their competitors and are three points ahead of Israel. Estonia remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the tournament, with the runners-up going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host Israel on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on the table, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a playoff spot likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.