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Rúben Neves saved the day for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp winning goal in their World Cup encounter against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had denied a penalty from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

Neves headed home during added time to secure a slender triumph, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace at the death to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought draw, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of honor with a gritty display that erased some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them in a difficult position, with their first three Group F games having yielded only a single draw. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a qualifying place.

Major Moments

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a point when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s effort had struck Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of stoppage time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Qualifying Results

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their chances of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal triumph over Armenia, climbing above their rivals into second place behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the lead in the first half and a teammate secured the victory in late added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now secure their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for Albania with a neat volley in first-half stoppage time.

The Latvian side difficulties in Group K continued as they were held to a two-all draw at home by Andorra. An Andorran player found the net for the away side late on from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their dominant qualifying group campaign with a comfortable victory over the Georgian side after goals from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The result continued the European champions’ perfect record in qualifying, having scored 11 goals in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their dominance against a Georgia team that passed most of the match defending deep. Spain controlled the encounter with over eighty percent possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and his compatriot secured the victory in the second period with a stunning free kick after Mamardashvili had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Additional Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over Bulgaria to stay close to Spain in Group E. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• Italy improved their hopes of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or Israel. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now appears their primary opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive hammering over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are leading on 18 points from six matches. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their competitors and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. Estonia remain in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the playoffs.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place likely beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.