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Rúben Neves was the hero for Portugal with a injury-time decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying clash against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a penalty from the veteran forward.

Match Overview

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during injury time to claim a slender triumph, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace at the death to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to leave Lisbon with a well-earned point, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of pride with a gritty performance that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

However, the loss puts them staring down the barrel, with their first three Group F matches having yielded only a single point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of claiming a playoff spot.

Key Incidents

• Kelleher seemed to have earned Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s shot had hit Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he headed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Other Group Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team enhanced their chances of qualifying by securing their first win with a 2-0 triumph over the Armenian side, climbing above their rivals into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs provided his team the lead in the first half and a teammate secured the points in late added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 loss at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now secure their qualification from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the only goal for Albania with a well-taken shot in first-half added time.

Latvia struggles in their group persisted as they were held to a two-all draw at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera found the net for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their first point of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Spain’s Group

Spain maintained their impressive qualifying group run with a 2-0 victory over the Georgian side after goals from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The result extended the title holders’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having scored eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that passed most of the match sitting back. The home side controlled the encounter with over eighty percent possession, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

Pino broke the deadlock in the first half from a well-executed dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a spectacular free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Other Scores

• Turkey bounced back with a 6-1 thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on Spain in their section. The Spanish club’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable victory away to Estonia, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or our next opponents. We know our responsibilities.”

Italy missed out for the last two World Cups, on two occasions falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now appears their primary chance after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. Norway are top on 18 points from six games. Italy have twelve points with a match less played on their rivals and are three points ahead of their next opponents. Estonia stay fourth on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the playoffs.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on the table, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place likely beckons for the Italian squad.