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Rúben Neves saved the day for the Portuguese side with a dramatic winner in their World Cup encounter against Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had denied a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder found the net during stoppage time to claim a 1-0 triumph, four years after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to overcome a resilient Ireland team.

The Irish squad appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a well-earned point, but in the end left empty-handed, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a battling display that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

However, the defeat leaves them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of Group F matches having yielded only a solitary point. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of claiming a playoff spot.

Major Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have earned Ireland a point when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s shot had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of added time when he directed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their chances of advancing by securing their first win with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, moving above their rivals into second place behind Portugal in Group F. Daniel Lukacs gave his team the lead in the first half and a teammate made sure of the victory in late added time.

Group K

Serbia suffered a narrow loss at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now secure their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the only goal for Albania with a well-taken volley in late added time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K continued as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera scored for the visitors late on from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their dominant Group E campaign with a 2-0 victory over the Georgian side after goals from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The win extended the title holders’ perfect record in qualifying, having scored eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgia team that spent most of the match sitting back. Spain controlled the match with over eighty percent of the ball, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper their keeper averting a rout.

Pino broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece routine, and his compatriot wrapped up the win in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Other Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 victory over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• Italy boosted their hopes of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable win away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach commented: “We’re not thinking about Norway or Israel. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two global tournaments, on two occasions falling short in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now appears their primary chance after Norway’s comprehensive win over Israel in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are top on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have twelve points with a game in hand on their rivals and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. Estonia stay fourth on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

Italy face their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on the table, the leaders’ far superior goal ratio means a qualifying place likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.