🔗 Share this article

Rúben Neves was the hero for Portugal with a injury-time decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying encounter against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had saved a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during added time to secure a narrow win, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace at the death to overcome a resilient Ireland team.

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

Nevertheless, the loss puts them in a difficult position, with their first three Group F games having yielded only a solitary draw. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of securing a playoff place.

Major Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have earned Ireland a draw when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s effort had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the first minute of stoppage time when he directed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Results

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team enhanced their chances of qualifying by picking up their first win with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, climbing above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided his team the lead in the first half and a teammate made sure of the points in second-half added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 defeat at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now secure their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the only goal for Albania with a neat volley in first-half added time.

Latvia difficulties in Group K continued as they were held to a two-all draw at home by Andorra. An Andorran player found the net for the away side late on from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Group E

The Spanish national team continued their impressive qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 win over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The result extended the European champions’ perfect run in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game sitting back. The home side controlled the match with over eighty percent possession, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a rout.

Pino broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece routine, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the win in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after Mamardashvili had saved Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Additional Scores

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a comprehensive thrashing over the Bulgarian side to stay close to the group leaders in Group E. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was one of the goal-getters.
• Italy boosted their prospects of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, another attacker, and a third scorer.

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

Italy missed out for the previous two global tournaments, on two occasions falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now appears their primary opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 win over Israel in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are top on eighteen 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 remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the playoffs.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still theoretically overtake Norway on points, the Norwegians’ much better goal difference means a playoff spot probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.