🔗 Share this article

Rúben Neves was the hero for Portugal with a injury-time winner in their World Cup clash against the Republic of Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

Neves headed home during injury time to snatch a narrow win, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to defeat a stubborn Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but in the end suffered defeat, despite restoring a significant amount of honor with a gritty performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

However, the loss leaves them facing elimination, with their initial trio of Group F games having yielded only a single point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of securing a qualifying spot.

Key Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have secured Ireland a draw when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s effort had hit an Irish defender’s arm.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of added time when he headed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Other Qualifying Results

Group F

Hungary boosted their hopes of qualifying by securing their first win with a two-goal victory over Armenia, moving above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in the standings. Daniel Lukacs provided his team the advantage in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the victory in late stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now secure their passage from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the only goal for Albania with a neat volley in first-half stoppage time.

Latvia struggles in their group persisted as they were forced to a two-all draw at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera scored for the away side late on from time to earn them their first point of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Group E

Spain maintained their dominant qualifying group run with a comfortable victory over the Georgian side after goals from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win extended the title holders’ perfect run in qualifying, having notched 11 goals in three matches without conceding.

In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and Rodri due to injuries, the Spanish squad demonstrated their superiority against a Georgia team that spent most of the match defending deep. The home side controlled the match with over eighty percent possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or generate a clear chance, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball move, and Oyarzabal secured the victory in the second period with a spectacular free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Additional Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive thrashing over the Bulgarian side to stay close to the group leaders in Group E. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was one of the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad boosted their prospects of at least making the knockout stage with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, another attacker, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or Israel. We know our responsibilities.”

Italy missed out for the last two World Cups, twice falling short in the playoffs, and the feared playoff path now appears their most likely chance after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 hammering over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. Norway are leading on 18 points from six games. Italy have twelve points with a game in hand on their competitors and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad remain in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on points, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a playoff spot likely awaits for the Italian squad.