Portugal snatched a dramatic 1-0 victory over the Republic of Ireland thanks to a stoppage-time header from Rúben Neves in World Cup qualifying. The Wolverhampton midfielder came to the rescue after Cristiano Ronaldo’s penalty was brilliantly saved by Ireland’s goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher. Neves dedicated his goal to the late Diogo Jota, wearing the No. 21 shirt in honour of his former teammate, who tragically died in a car accident in July.
Ireland looked set to secure a hard-fought point in Lisbon after a disciplined defensive performance frustrated Portugal for much of the night. Kelleher’s heroics, including the penalty save, kept the visitors in the game until Neves rose highest in injury time to head home Francisco Trincão’s cross. The result leaves Ireland in danger of missing out on the playoffs with only one point from their opening three Group F matches. They now face a must-win clash with Armenia in Dublin.
Hungary revived their campaign with a 2-0 win over Armenia, moving into second place behind Portugal. Daniel Lukacs opened the scoring in the first half before Zsombor Gruber sealed the result in stoppage time.
In Group K, Albania pulled off a shock 1-0 victory away to Serbia, courtesy of a fine volley from Rey Manaj just before halftime. The result leaves England on the brink of automatic qualification, which they can secure by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Serbia, meanwhile, have now lost ground in the race for second. Latvia’s struggles continued as they were held 2-2 at home by Andorra, who earned their first point of the qualifiers.
Spain continued their flawless run in Group E with a commanding 2-0 victory over Georgia. Despite missing several key players, Spain dominated with more than 80% possession, scoring through Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal. The European champions have now scored 11 goals in three games without conceding.
Elsewhere, Italy boosted their playoff hopes with a 3-1 win over Estonia through goals from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui and Francesco Pio Esposito. The Azzurri remain three points clear of Israel ahead of Tuesday’s crucial fixture in Rome. Norway maintained top spot in Group I after a 5-0 demolition of Israel, with Erling Haaland netting a hat-trick to continue his prolific form.
