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Rúben Neves saved the day for Portugal with a injury-time winner in their World Cup qualifying match against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder headed home during stoppage time to snatch a narrow triumph, four years after the star striker had bagged a brace at the death to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite restoring a significant amount of pride with a gritty display that erased some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them staring down the barrel, with their first three Group F games having produced only a solitary draw. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a qualifying place.

Key Moments

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have earned Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s effort had hit Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of added time when he directed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Additional Group Results

Group F

Hungary boosted their hopes of qualifying by picking up their first win with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, climbing above their rivals into second place behind Portugal in Group F. Daniel Lukacs provided Hungary the advantage in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the victory in late added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now secure their qualification from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the only goal for Albania with a well-taken shot in first-half added time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K persisted as they were held to a 2-2 draw at home by Andorra. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

Spain continued their impressive Group E campaign with a 2-0 victory over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The result extended the European champions’ perfect record in the qualifiers, having scored eleven strikes in three matches without letting in a goal.

Despite the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that passed most of the match sitting back. The home side dominated the match 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 Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a rout.

The scorer opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a well-executed dead-ball move, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the second period with a stunning set-piece after Mamardashvili had denied a Spanish player’s penalty.

Other Results

• Turkey bounced back with a 6-1 victory over Bulgaria to stay close to Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was among the scorers.
• Italy boosted their prospects of at least making the knockout stage with a comfortable win away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, another attacker, and a third scorer.

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

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 most likely opportunity after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive hammering over the Israeli side in Group I. Norway are leading on 18 points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a match less played on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of their next opponents. The Estonian squad remain fourth on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the tournament, with the runners-up going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team face their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would secure second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on the table, the leaders’ far superior goal ratio means a qualifying place likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.