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Rúben Neves was the hero for Portugal with a last-gasp decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying match against Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a penalty from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

The Wolves midfielder found the net during added time to secure a narrow victory, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to defeat a resilient Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought draw, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of pride with a battling display that erased some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

However, the loss leaves them facing elimination, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having produced only a single draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming a playoff place.

Major Moments

• Kelleher seemed to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s effort had struck an Irish defender’s hand.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the opening moments of added time when he headed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Additional Group Results

Group F

Hungary boosted their chances of qualifying by securing their first win with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, moving above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the lead in the first half and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the points in late added time.

England’s Group

Serbia slipped to a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now secure their qualification from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the only goal for Albania with a neat volley in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side difficulties in their group persisted as they were forced to a 2-2 draw at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera found the net for the away side late on from time to claim them their first point of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

Spain maintained their impressive Group E run with a comfortable victory over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in Elche. The result extended the European champions’ perfect record in the qualifiers, having notched 11 goals in three matches without conceding.

Despite the unavailability of key figures such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. The home side dominated the encounter with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or create a clear chance, with only goalkeeper their keeper preventing a heavy defeat.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a well-executed set-piece move, and his compatriot wrapped up the victory in the second period with a stunning set-piece after Mamardashvili had denied Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Additional Scores

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

The Italian coach said: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or Israel. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now looks their primary chance after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 hammering over the Israeli side in Group I. The Norwegians are leading 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 their next opponents. The Estonian squad remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the playoffs.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would secure second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place likely awaits for the Italian squad.