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Rúben Neves saved the day for Portugal with a injury-time winning goal in their World Cup match against the Republic of Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had denied a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder found the net during injury time to claim a slender victory, four years after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of honor with a battling performance that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss puts them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of Group F games having produced only a single point. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming a playoff place.

Key Moments

• Kelleher seemed to have secured Ireland a draw when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s shot had struck an Irish defender’s arm.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the opening moments of added time when he directed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

Hungary boosted their chances of qualifying by securing their first win with a 2-0 triumph over the Armenian side, climbing above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in Group F. Daniel Lukacs gave Hungary the lead in the first half and Zsombor Gruber secured the victory in second-half stoppage time.

Group K

Serbia suffered a narrow loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the only goal for his team with a well-taken volley in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K persisted as they were forced to a two-all draw at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera scored for the away side 12 minutes from time to earn them their first point of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Group E

Spain continued their dominant Group E campaign with a comfortable victory over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The result continued the European champions’ perfect run in qualifying, having scored eleven strikes in three matches without conceding.

Despite the unavailability of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that spent most of the match defending deep. Spain controlled the match with more than 80% possession, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or generate a clear chance, with only goalkeeper their keeper preventing a heavy defeat.

Pino opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken set-piece move, and Oyarzabal secured the victory in the 64th minute with a spectacular free kick after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Other Scores

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a 6-1 victory over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “We’re not thinking about Norway or Israel. We are aware of what we have to do.”

Italy missed out for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions falling short in the playoffs, and the feared playoff path now appears their primary chance after Norway’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six matches. 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 stay fourth on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

Italy face their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on the table, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place probably awaits for the Italian squad.