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

Game Overview

Neves nodded in during added time to snatch a 1-0 triumph, four years after Ronaldo had scored twice late on to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to leave Lisbon with a well-earned draw, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of honor with a battling display that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat leaves them in a difficult position, with their first three Group F matches having produced only a solitary point. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of securing a qualifying place.

Major Moments

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

Additional Group Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary enhanced their chances of advancing by securing their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over the Armenian side, climbing 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 stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning England can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken volley in first-half added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in their group persisted as they were forced to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera found the net for the visitors late on from time to earn them their first point of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

Spain continued their dominant qualifying group run with a comfortable victory over the Georgian side after strikes from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The result extended the European champions’ perfect run in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their dominance against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game defending deep. The home side controlled the encounter with more than 80% of the ball, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or create a clear chance, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a rout.

Pino broke the deadlock in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball move, and his compatriot wrapped up the win in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had denied a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over the Bulgarian side to stay close to Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was one of the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a comfortable win away to Estonia, thanks to goals from a forward, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

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

Italy missed out for the last two World Cups, twice missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their primary opportunity after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive win over Israel in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six matches. The Italians have twelve points with a game in hand on their rivals and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad stay fourth on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the runners-up going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch the group leaders on points, the leaders’ far superior goal ratio means a playoff spot probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.