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Rúben Neves was the hero for the Portuguese side with a dramatic winning goal in their World Cup clash against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Overview

The Wolves midfielder found the net during added time to claim a 1-0 victory, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace at the death to defeat a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a battling performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

However, the loss leaves them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of Group F matches having yielded only a single point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of claiming a playoff place.

Key Incidents

• Kelleher seemed to have secured Ireland a draw when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he headed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Group Results

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their chances of qualifying by picking up their first win with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in Group F. Daniel Lukacs provided his team the lead in the first half and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the victory in late stoppage time.

Group K

Serbia suffered a 1-0 loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now secure their qualification from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken shot in first-half stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in their group continued as they were held to a 2-2 draw at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player found the net for the away side 12 minutes from time to claim them their first point of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Group E

Spain continued their dominant qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win continued the European champions’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having scored eleven strikes in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their superiority against a Georgia team that spent the majority of the game defending deep. The home side dominated the match with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper their keeper averting a rout.

Pino broke the deadlock in the first half from a well-executed set-piece routine, and his compatriot wrapped up the win in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Scores

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive victory over the Bulgarian side to stay close to Spain in Group E. Real Madrid’s a young talent was one of the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach commented: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or our next opponents. We know what we have to do.”

The Azzurri missed out for the last two World Cups, on two occasions missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now looks their most likely opportunity after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive win over Israel in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are leading on 18 points from six matches. Italy have twelve points with a match less played on their competitors 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 playoffs.

Italy host their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on points, the Norwegians’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place likely awaits for the Italian squad.