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Rúben Neves saved the day for Portugal with a dramatic decisive strike in their World Cup encounter against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had denied a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

Neves nodded in during stoppage time to secure a 1-0 victory, several seasons after Ronaldo had scored twice late on to overcome a stubborn Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to leave Lisbon with a well-earned draw, but in the end suffered defeat, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a gritty display that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

However, the defeat puts them in a difficult position, with their first three Group F matches having produced only a solitary point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of securing a playoff spot.

Major Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Group Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their hopes of qualifying by securing their first win with a two-goal victory over Armenia, climbing above their rivals into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided his team the lead in the first half and a teammate made sure of the points in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

Serbia suffered a narrow defeat at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the only goal for his team with a well-taken volley in late added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in Group K persisted as they were forced to a 2-2 tie at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their impressive qualifying group run with a 2-0 win over Georgia after strikes from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in Elche. The win continued the European champions’ flawless run in the qualifiers, having notched 11 goals in three matches without conceding.

Despite the unavailability of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that passed most of the match defending deep. The home side dominated the encounter with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a rout.

The scorer opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a well-executed dead-ball move, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the second period with a spectacular free kick after Mamardashvili had saved Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Additional Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a comprehensive 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.
• The Italian squad boosted their prospects of at least making the knockout stage with a 3-1 win away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from a forward, another attacker, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or our next opponents. We are aware of what we have to do.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the previous two World Cups, on two occasions missing out in the playoffs, and the feared playoff path now appears their most likely opportunity after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 hammering over Israel in Group I. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six matches. Italy have twelve points with a game in hand on their competitors and are three points ahead of their next opponents. The Estonian squad stay fourth on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the tournament, with the runners-up entering the playoffs.

The Italian national team host their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.