🔗 Share this article Injury-Time Header from Neves Shocks the Irish After Caoimhín Kelleher Stops Cristiano Ronaldo Penalty Rúben Neves was the hero for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp winning goal in their World Cup qualifying match against the Republic of Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a penalty from the veteran forward. Match Summary Neves headed home during injury time to snatch a narrow victory, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to defeat a stubborn Ireland team. Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned point, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite regaining a good deal of honor with a gritty performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia. Nevertheless, the defeat puts them staring down the barrel, with their first three Group F games having produced only a single draw. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of claiming a playoff place. Key Incidents The Liverpool keeper looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s shot had struck an Irish defender’s hand. The match-winner saved Portugal in the opening moments of added time when he directed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher. Other Qualifying Results Portugal’s Group Hungary boosted their chances of qualifying by picking up their first win with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, moving above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in Group F. Daniel Lukacs provided Hungary the lead in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the points in second-half added time. England’s Group The Serbian national team suffered a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the decisive strike for his team with a neat volley in first-half added time. The Latvian side difficulties in Group K continued as they were forced to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera scored for the away side late on from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games. Spain’s Group Spain continued their dominant Group E campaign with a comfortable victory over Georgia after strikes from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The result continued the European champions’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having scored eleven strikes in three matches without conceding. Despite the absence of key figures such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that spent most of the match defending deep. Spain controlled the match with over eighty percent possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper their keeper preventing a rout. Pino opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a well-executed set-piece move, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the second period with a stunning set-piece after the Georgian keeper had denied a Spanish player’s spot-kick. Other Scores The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a 6-1 thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. Real Madrid’s a young talent was one of the scorers. The Italian squad boosted their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a 3-1 win away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer. Gennaro Gattuso commented: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or Israel. We are aware of what we have to do.” The Azzurri missed out for the last two global tournaments, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the feared playoff path now looks their most likely opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 win over Israel in their qualifying group. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six matches. Italy have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points ahead of their next opponents. Estonia stay in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the tournament, with the runners-up going into the qualifying stage. The Italian national team host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically overtake Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.