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Rúben Neves was the hero for the Portuguese side with a injury-time decisive strike in their World Cup encounter against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a penalty from the veteran forward.

Match Overview

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during injury time to snatch a 1-0 triumph, four years after the star striker had scored twice late on to overcome a stubborn Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite regaining a good deal of honor with a gritty performance that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

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

Major Moments

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have earned Ireland a point when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s shot had struck an Irish defender’s arm.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the first minute of added time when he headed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Results

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their chances of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, moving above their rivals into second place behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave his team the advantage in the first half and a teammate secured the victory in second-half added time.

England’s Group

Serbia suffered a 1-0 loss at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for Albania with a neat shot in late added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in Group K continued as they were forced to a two-all tie at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera found the net for the away side 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their impressive qualifying group campaign with a comfortable victory over the Georgian side after goals from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in Elche. The win continued the title holders’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having notched eleven strikes in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of 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 showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. The home side dominated the encounter with over eighty percent of the ball, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper their keeper preventing a rout.

The scorer opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and his compatriot secured the win in the 64th minute with a spectacular free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a 6-1 thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was one of the goal-getters.
• Italy improved their prospects of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable win away to Estonia, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or our next opponents. We know what we have to do.”

Italy missed out for the previous two global tournaments, on two occasions missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their primary chance after Norway’s 5-0 hammering over Israel in Group I. Norway are leading on 18 points from six matches. Italy have twelve points with a game in hand on their competitors and are a trio of points clear of their next opponents. Estonia stay fourth on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides entering the playoffs.

Italy host their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically overtake the group leaders on points, the Norwegians’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.