🔗 Share this article

Rúben Neves was the hero for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp winning goal in their World Cup qualifying clash against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had denied a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Summary

Neves found the net during added time to snatch a slender victory, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but ultimately 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 loss leaves them facing elimination, with their first three qualifying group matches having produced only a single point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a playoff place.

Key Moments

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly 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 saved Portugal in the opening moments of stoppage time when he headed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Additional Group Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their chances of advancing by securing their first win with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, moving above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the lead in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the points in late added time.

Group K

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

The Latvian side difficulties in their group persisted as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the away side late on from time to claim them their first point of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Group E

Spain maintained their dominant Group E campaign with a 2-0 win over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in Elche. The result continued the European champions’ flawless record in qualifying, having scored eleven strikes in three matches without conceding.

Despite the unavailability of players such as a talented winger, another forward, and the midfield anchor 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. Spain dominated the encounter with more than 80% of the ball, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a heavy defeat.

The scorer opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a expertly taken dead-ball move, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the win in the second period with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• Turkey bounced back with a 6-1 victory over the Bulgarian side to stay close to Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was one of the scorers.
• The Italian squad boosted their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or our next opponents. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

Italy missed out for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now appears their primary opportunity after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive hammering over Israel in their qualifying group. Norway are top on eighteen points from six matches. Italy have 12 points with a game in hand on their competitors and are three points clear of their next opponents. The Estonian squad stay in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still theoretically overtake Norway on points, the Norwegians’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place probably awaits for the Italian squad.