🔗 Share this article

Rúben Neves came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a injury-time winner in their World Cup match against the Republic of Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had saved a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Summary

Neves nodded in during injury time to secure a 1-0 win, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace at the death to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but in the end suffered defeat, despite restoring a significant amount of honor with a gritty display that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

However, the defeat puts them in a difficult position, with their first three Group F matches having produced only a single draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of securing a qualifying place.

Major Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have earned Ireland a point when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s effort had struck an Irish defender’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of added time when he directed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their hopes of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over the Armenian side, moving above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave his team the advantage in the opening period and a teammate secured the points in second-half added time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now secure their qualification from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the only goal for his team with a well-taken volley in first-half added time.

Latvia struggles in their group continued as they were forced to a two-all draw at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera found the net for the away side late on from time to claim them their first point of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their dominant Group E campaign with a 2-0 victory over the Georgian side after strikes from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The win continued the title holders’ perfect record in the qualifiers, having notched 11 goals in three matches without conceding.

Despite the absence of players such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgia team that passed the majority of the game defending deep. The home side dominated the encounter with over eighty percent of the ball, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or create a clear chance, with only goalkeeper their keeper averting a rout.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a well-executed set-piece move, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the second period with a stunning set-piece after Mamardashvili had denied Ferran Torres’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 their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was one of the scorers.
• Italy boosted their prospects of at least making the knockout stage with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

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

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now appears their most likely chance after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are top 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 Israel. Estonia stay fourth on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

Italy host Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ far superior goal ratio means a qualifying place likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.