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Rúben Neves was the hero for Portugal with a dramatic winner in their World Cup qualifying match against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a penalty from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during stoppage time to snatch a 1-0 victory, several seasons after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to defeat a resilient Ireland team.

The Irish squad looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned point, but in the end suffered defeat, despite restoring a good deal of honor with a battling display that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them facing elimination, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having yielded only a single draw. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a playoff place.

Major Moments

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of added time when he headed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Group Results

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, climbing above their rivals into second place behind Portugal in Group F. Daniel Lukacs provided Hungary the advantage in the opening period and a teammate secured the points in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

Serbia suffered a narrow defeat at home to Albania, with the result meaning England can now secure their passage from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the only goal for his team with a well-taken volley in first-half added time.

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

Group E

Spain maintained their impressive qualifying group run with a 2-0 victory over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The result extended the title holders’ flawless run in qualifying, having scored eleven strikes in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game sitting back. The home side dominated the encounter with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper their keeper preventing a rout.

Pino 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 free kick after Mamardashvili had denied a Spanish player’s penalty.

Additional Results

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a 6-1 victory over Bulgaria to stay close to Spain in their section. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad boosted their prospects of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable win away to Estonia, thanks to goals from a forward, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

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

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two World Cups, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their primary chance after Norway’s comprehensive hammering over Israel in Group I. Norway are top on 18 points from six matches. The Italians 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 remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides entering the playoffs.

The Italian national team host Israel on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically overtake the group leaders on the table, the leaders’ far superior goal difference means a playoff spot likely beckons for the Italian squad.