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Rúben Neves was the hero for Portugal with a dramatic winner in their World Cup qualifying clash against Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during stoppage time to secure a slender triumph, several seasons after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to overcome a resilient Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a battling 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 matches having yielded only a solitary point. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of securing a playoff spot.

Key Moments

• Kelleher seemed to have earned Ireland a draw when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s effort had struck Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of added time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Group Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their hopes of advancing by securing their initial victory with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, climbing above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in Group F. Daniel Lukacs gave his team the lead in the first half and Zsombor Gruber secured the points in late added time.

England’s Group

Serbia suffered a 1-0 loss at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now secure their qualification from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken shot in late stoppage time.

Latvia difficulties in Group K persisted as they were forced to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Spain’s Group

Spain continued their impressive qualifying group run with a comfortable victory over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in Elche. The result extended the title holders’ perfect record in the qualifiers, having scored eleven strikes in three matches 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 injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that spent most of the match defending deep. Spain dominated the match with over eighty percent of the ball, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or create a clear chance, with only goalkeeper their keeper preventing a rout.

Pino opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and his compatriot wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after Mamardashvili had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Additional Scores

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a comprehensive thrashing over Bulgaria to stay close to the group leaders in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach said: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or our next opponents. We know what we have to do.”

Italy failed to qualify for the previous two global tournaments, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their primary opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive win over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a match less played on their competitors and are a trio of points ahead of their next opponents. Estonia remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the qualifying stage.

Italy face their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still theoretically overtake Norway on points, the Norwegians’ far superior goal ratio means a qualifying place probably beckons for the Italian squad.