🔗 Share this article Late Goal from Rúben Neves Sinks the Irish Following Caoimhín Kelleher Saves Ronaldo Spot-Kick Rúben Neves was the hero for Portugal with a last-gasp winner in their World Cup clash against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had denied a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo. Match Summary The Wolves midfielder headed home during added time to secure a narrow victory, several seasons after Ronaldo had scored twice late on to defeat a stubborn Irish side. Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a well-earned point, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite regaining a significant amount of honor with a gritty performance that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia. Nevertheless, the loss leaves them in a difficult position, with their first three Group F games having yielded only a single point. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a qualifying spot. Major Moments Kelleher seemed to have earned Ireland a draw when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s effort had struck Dara O’Shea’s arm. The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper. Additional Qualifying Results Portugal’s Group The Hungarian team enhanced their hopes of qualifying by securing their first win with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in the standings. Daniel Lukacs gave his team the lead in the first half and a teammate made sure of the victory in second-half added time. Group K Serbia suffered a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now secure their passage from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken shot in first-half stoppage time. The Latvian side struggles in their group persisted as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera scored 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. Group E Spain continued their dominant qualifying group run with a 2-0 win over Georgia after goals from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in Elche. The result continued the European champions’ perfect record in qualifying, having scored 11 goals in three games without conceding. Despite the unavailability of players such as a talented winger, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their dominance against a Georgian team that spent most of the match sitting back. Spain controlled the match with over eighty percent possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or create a clear chance, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a rout. Pino opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the second period with a spectacular free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s penalty. Additional Scores Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 thrashing over the Bulgarian side to stay close to Spain in Group E. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was among the goal-getters. Italy improved their prospects of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable win away to Estonia, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer. The Italian coach commented: “We’re not thinking about Norway or Israel. We know what we have to do.” The Azzurri missed out for the last two World Cups, on two occasions falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now appears their most likely chance after Norway’s 5-0 win over Israel in their qualifying group. Norway are top on 18 points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a match less played on their competitors and are three points clear of their next opponents. Estonia stay fourth on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the playoffs. The Italian national team host Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake the group leaders on the table, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place likely beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.