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Rúben Neves came to the rescue for Portugal with a last-gasp winning goal in their World Cup qualifying match against Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had saved a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Overview

Neves headed home during stoppage time to snatch a slender victory, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace at the death to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a battling display that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss puts them staring down the barrel, with their first three qualifying group matches having produced only a single point. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of claiming a playoff spot.

Key Moments

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a point when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s effort had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of added time when he headed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Other Group Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary enhanced their hopes of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal triumph over Armenia, moving above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in the standings. Daniel Lukacs provided Hungary the advantage in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the points in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow loss at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the only goal for his team with a well-taken volley in first-half stoppage time.

The Latvian side difficulties in Group K persisted as they were held to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player found the net for the away side 12 minutes from time to claim them their first point of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their dominant qualifying group run with a comfortable win over Georgia after goals from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in Elche. The win continued the European champions’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three matches without conceding.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as a talented winger, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game defending deep. The home side dominated the match with more than 80% of the ball, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

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

Other Scores

• Turkey bounced back with a comprehensive thrashing over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was one of the scorers.
• Italy boosted their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable win away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach commented: “We’re not thinking about Norway or our next opponents. We know what we have to do.”

Italy failed to qualify for the previous two World Cups, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now appears their primary opportunity after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in Group I. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a game in hand on their competitors and are three points clear of Israel. The Estonian squad stay fourth on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the runners-up going into the playoffs.

The Italian national team host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch the group leaders on points, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place probably beckons for the Italian squad.