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Rúben Neves was the hero for the Portuguese side with a dramatic winning goal in their World Cup qualifying clash against Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had denied a penalty from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

Neves nodded in during stoppage time to secure a 1-0 win, four years after Ronaldo 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 suffered defeat, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a battling display that erased some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

However, the defeat leaves them in a difficult position, with their first three Group F games having produced only a single point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a qualifying spot.

Key Moments

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s effort had struck Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of added time when he headed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their chances of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, climbing 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 Zsombor Gruber made sure of the victory in second-half stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a narrow loss at home to Albania, with the result meaning England can now secure their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the only goal for his team with a well-taken shot in first-half stoppage time.

Latvia difficulties in their group persisted as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their dominant qualifying group campaign with a comfortable victory over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The win extended the title holders’ perfect record in the qualifiers, having notched 11 goals in three games without conceding.

Despite the absence of key figures such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad demonstrated their dominance against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game defending deep. Spain dominated the encounter with over eighty percent possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or generate a clear chance, with only goalkeeper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

Pino opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece routine, and his compatriot wrapped up the win in the 64th minute with a stunning set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Additional Results

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a 6-1 victory over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a 3-1 victory away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

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

Italy failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, on two occasions missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now looks their most likely opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. Norway are leading on 18 points from six games. The Italians have twelve points with a match less played on their rivals and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad stay fourth on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

The Italian national team face their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically overtake the group leaders on points, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place probably beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.