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Rúben Neves came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp decisive strike in their World Cup clash against Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had saved a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during stoppage time to secure a narrow victory, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace at the death to overcome a resilient Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a gritty display that erased some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

However, the loss puts them facing elimination, with their first three qualifying group matches having yielded only a single point. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of claiming a qualifying place.

Major Moments

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s shot had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of added time when he headed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team enhanced their chances of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, climbing above their rivals into second place behind Portugal in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave his team the advantage in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber secured the victory in second-half stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 loss at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning England can now seal their passage from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the only goal for his team with a well-taken volley in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in their group persisted as they were held to a two-all draw at home by Andorra. An Andorran player scored for the away side late on from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their impressive qualifying group run with a comfortable victory over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in Elche. The win continued the European champions’ flawless run in qualifying, having scored 11 goals in three matches without conceding.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad demonstrated their dominance against a Georgian team that passed most of the match defending deep. The home side dominated the encounter with more than 80% of the ball, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a rout.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal secured the victory in the 64th minute with a spectacular free kick after Mamardashvili had saved Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Other Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a comprehensive thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was among the scorers.
• Italy boosted their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a 3-1 victory away to Estonia, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, another attacker, and a third scorer.

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

Italy failed to qualify for the previous two global tournaments, twice falling short in the playoffs, and the feared backdoor route now looks their most likely opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive win over Israel in Group I. Norway are top on eighteen points from six matches. Italy have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the runners-up entering the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on points, the Norwegians’ far superior goal ratio means a qualifying place probably awaits for the Italian squad.