Rúben Neves came to the rescue for Portugal with a injury-time winning goal in their World Cup match against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a spot-kick from the veteran forward.
The Wolves midfielder headed home during injury time to snatch a 1-0 triumph, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace at the death to overcome a resilient Irish side.
The Irish squad appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned point, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite restoring a good deal of honor with a gritty performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.
However, the defeat leaves them facing elimination, with their first three qualifying group games having produced only a single point. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of securing a qualifying spot.
Hungary boosted their chances of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in Group F. Daniel Lukacs gave his team the advantage in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the points in second-half added time.
The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now secure their qualification from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the only goal for Albania with a neat volley in first-half stoppage time.
Latvia struggles in their group continued as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by Andorra. An Andorran player scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.
Spain continued their impressive Group E run with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after strikes from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The win extended the European champions’ perfect run in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three matches without letting in a goal.
Despite the unavailability of players such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to injuries, the Spanish squad demonstrated their dominance against a Georgian team that passed most of the match defending deep. The home side dominated the encounter with more than 80% possession, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate 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 victory in the 64th minute with a spectacular set-piece after Mamardashvili had denied a Spanish player’s penalty.
Gennaro Gattuso said: “We’re not thinking about Norway or our next opponents. We are aware of what we have to do.”
Italy missed out for the last two global tournaments, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded playoff path now appears their primary opportunity after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive win over Israel in their qualifying group. Norway are top on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have twelve points with a match less played on their rivals and are three points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the tournament, with the runners-up entering 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 leaders’ far superior goal ratio means a qualifying place likely awaits for the Italian squad.
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