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Rúben Neves was the hero for the Portuguese side with a injury-time winner in their World Cup encounter against the Republic of Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Overview

The Wolves midfielder headed home during injury time to claim a slender triumph, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to overcome a resilient Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned point, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a gritty display that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

However, the loss puts them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having produced only a single draw. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of securing a qualifying spot.

Key Moments

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s shot had hit Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the first minute of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Group Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their chances of advancing by picking up their first win with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, climbing above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in Group F. Daniel Lukacs gave Hungary the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber secured the victory in late added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 defeat at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning England can now secure their passage 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 forced to a two-all tie at home by Andorra. An Andorran player found the net for the away side 12 minutes from time to earn them their first point of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their impressive qualifying group run with a comfortable victory over the Georgian side after goals from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in Elche. The result extended the European champions’ perfect run in qualifying, having scored eleven strikes in three matches without conceding.

Despite the absence of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game sitting back. Spain controlled the match with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper their keeper preventing a heavy defeat.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a well-executed dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the second period with a spectacular free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Other Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 thrashing over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the scorers.
• Italy improved their prospects of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, another attacker, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach commented: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or our next opponents. We know what we have to do.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the previous two global tournaments, on two occasions missing out in the playoffs, and the feared playoff path now looks their most likely chance after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive hammering over the Israeli side in Group I. The Norwegians are top on eighteen points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a match less played on their rivals and are a trio of points ahead of their next opponents. The Estonian squad remain fourth on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the playoffs.

Italy host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure second spot and, while they can still mathematically overtake Norway on points, the Norwegians’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place probably beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.