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Rúben Neves was the hero for Portugal with a injury-time winning goal in their World Cup qualifying clash against the Republic of Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had denied a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder found the net during stoppage time to claim a narrow win, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to defeat a resilient Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought draw, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite regaining a significant amount of honor with a battling performance that erased some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss puts them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of Group F matches having yielded only a single draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of claiming a playoff spot.

Major Moments

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have earned Ireland a point when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s shot had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Group Outcomes

Group F

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

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 loss at home to Albania, with the outcome 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 neat shot in first-half stoppage time.

Latvia difficulties in their group continued as they were held to a 2-2 draw at home by Andorra. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their impressive Group E run with a 2-0 win over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in Elche. The result extended the title holders’ flawless record in qualifying, having notched 11 goals in three games without conceding.

Despite the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that spent most of the match defending deep. The home side dominated the match with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or create a clear chance, with only shot-stopper their keeper preventing a heavy defeat.

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

Additional Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 victory over Bulgaria to stay close to the group leaders in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad boosted their hopes of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable win away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach said: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or our next opponents. We know what we have to do.”

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two global tournaments, on two occasions falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now appears their primary opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 win over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six games. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points clear of their next opponents. The Estonian squad remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the runners-up going into the qualifying stage.

Italy face Israel on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on the table, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a playoff spot probably beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.