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Rúben Neves came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp winner in their World Cup encounter against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Overview

The Wolves midfielder headed home during added time to snatch a slender triumph, four years after the star striker had bagged a brace at the death to defeat a resilient Ireland team.

The Irish squad appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a battling performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them staring down the barrel, with their first three Group F games having produced only a single point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of securing a playoff spot.

Key Moments

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have earned Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of added time when he directed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Group Results

Group F

Hungary enhanced their chances of advancing by securing their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, moving above their rivals into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided his team the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber secured the victory in second-half added time.

England’s Group

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

Latvia struggles in Group K continued as they were held to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera scored for the away side late on from time to earn them their first point of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their impressive Group E campaign with a 2-0 win over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The result continued the title holders’ flawless run in the qualifiers, having notched 11 goals in three games without conceding.

Despite the unavailability of players such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that spent most of the match defending deep. The home side dominated the encounter with over eighty percent of the ball, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

Pino broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a well-executed dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Additional Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a comprehensive thrashing over the Bulgarian side to stay close to the group leaders in their section. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad boosted their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach said: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or Israel. We know what we have to do.”

The Azzurri missed out for the last two World Cups, on two occasions missing out in the playoffs, and the feared playoff path now looks their primary chance after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in Group I. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six games. The Italians have twelve points with a match less played on their competitors and are a trio of points ahead of their next opponents. Estonia stay fourth on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides entering the playoffs.

Italy face their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically overtake Norway on the table, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place likely beckons for the Italian squad.