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Rúben Neves was the hero for Portugal with a injury-time decisive strike in their World Cup encounter against Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder headed home during added time to secure a 1-0 win, several seasons after Ronaldo had scored twice late on to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite regaining a good deal of honor with a gritty display that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss puts them staring down the barrel, with their first three Group F games having produced only a solitary point. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming a qualifying spot.

Major Moments

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves saved Portugal in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Group Outcomes

Group F

Hungary boosted their chances of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over the Armenian side, moving above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs provided his team the advantage in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber secured the victory in late added time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now seal their passage from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for his team with a neat volley in first-half stoppage time.

The Latvian side difficulties in Group K continued as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera found the net for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their dominant Group E campaign with a 2-0 victory over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in Elche. The result extended the title holders’ perfect record in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three matches without conceding.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad demonstrated their dominance against a Georgian team that spent most of the match defending deep. Spain controlled the encounter with more than 80% of the ball, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper their keeper preventing a heavy defeat.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a well-executed dead-ball routine, and his compatriot secured the victory in the 64th minute with a spectacular free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Additional Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over the Bulgarian side to stay close to the group leaders in Group E. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was one of the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad boosted their hopes of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to Estonia, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach said: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or our next opponents. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri missed out for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions falling short in the playoffs, and the feared playoff path now appears their primary chance after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 hammering over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have 12 points with a match less played on their competitors and are a trio of points clear of Israel. Estonia remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides entering the playoffs.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place likely beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.