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Rúben Neves was the hero for Portugal with a dramatic winner in their World Cup match against the Republic of Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had denied a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

Neves found the net during injury time to secure a narrow win, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought draw, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of pride with a gritty display that erased some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat leaves them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of Group F games having produced only a solitary draw. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of claiming a qualifying spot.

Major Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s shot had hit an Irish defender’s arm.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he headed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Group Results

Portugal’s Group

Hungary enhanced their hopes of qualifying by picking up their first win with a two-goal triumph over Armenia, moving above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs provided Hungary the advantage in the first half and a teammate secured the points in second-half stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a narrow loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now secure their passage from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the only goal for his team with a neat volley in first-half stoppage time.

The Latvian side difficulties in their group continued as they were forced to a 2-2 draw at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera found the net for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team maintained their impressive Group E campaign with a comfortable win over the Georgian side after strikes from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in Elche. The win extended the European champions’ perfect run in qualifying, having scored 11 goals in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the absence 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 Georgia team that spent most of the match defending deep. Spain dominated the encounter with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper their keeper preventing a heavy defeat.

Pino opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken set-piece move, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the win in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Additional Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 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.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least reaching the knockout stage with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

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

Italy missed out for the previous two World Cups, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now appears their primary opportunity after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive win over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are top on eighteen 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. The Estonian squad stay in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the tournament, with the runners-up going into the playoffs.

The Italian national team host Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch the group leaders on the table, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot likely beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.