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Rúben Neves saved the day for the Portuguese side with a dramatic winner in their World Cup clash against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Overview

Neves headed home during stoppage time to secure a 1-0 win, four years after the star striker had scored twice late on to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to leave Lisbon with a well-earned draw, but in the end left empty-handed, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a gritty display that erased some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss puts them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having yielded only a solitary point. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a playoff spot.

Major Moments

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have secured Ireland a draw when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s effort had hit an Irish defender’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Other Group Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their chances of advancing by securing their initial victory with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, moving above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the lead in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the victory in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

Serbia slipped to a narrow loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now seal their qualification from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken shot in late added time.

Latvia struggles in their group continued as they were held to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera found the net for the away side late on from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Group E

Spain maintained their dominant qualifying group run with a 2-0 win over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The result extended the title holders’ flawless record in qualifying, having scored eleven strikes in three matches without letting in a goal.

Despite the absence of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. Spain dominated the encounter with over eighty percent of the ball, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a heavy defeat.

Pino broke the deadlock in the first half from a well-executed dead-ball move, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the 64th minute with a spectacular free kick after Mamardashvili had denied a Spanish player’s penalty.

Additional Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 victory over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was one of the goal-getters.
• Italy boosted their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, another attacker, and a third scorer.

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

Italy missed out for the previous two global tournaments, twice falling short in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now appears their primary opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive hammering over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. Norway are top on 18 points from six games. The Italians have twelve points with a match less played on their competitors and are three points clear of Israel. Estonia remain fourth on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

The Italian national team host Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would secure second spot and, while they can still mathematically overtake the group leaders on points, the Norwegians’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place probably beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.