Injury-Time Goal from Neves Stuns the Irish After Kelleher Saves Ronaldo Spot-Kick

Rúben Neves was the hero for Portugal with a last-gasp decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying clash against Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had saved a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Overview

Neves found the net during added time to secure a narrow win, four years after Ronaldo had scored twice at the death to defeat a resilient Ireland team.

The Irish squad looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of honor with a battling performance that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat leaves them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having yielded only a solitary point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a playoff place.

Major Moments

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s shot had hit an Irish defender’s arm.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the first minute of added time when he directed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Other Qualifying Results

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their chances of qualifying by securing their initial victory with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, climbing above their rivals into second place behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave his team the lead in the first half and a teammate made sure of the points in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

Serbia slipped to a narrow defeat at home to Albania, with the result meaning England can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken shot in first-half stoppage time.

Latvia struggles in Group K continued as they were forced to a 2-2 tie at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera found the net for the visitors late on from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their impressive qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 victory over Georgia after strikes from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win extended the European champions’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having scored eleven strikes in three matches without conceding.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. Spain controlled the match with over eighty percent of the ball, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or create a clear chance, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a rout.

Pino broke the deadlock in the first half from a expertly taken set-piece routine, and Oyarzabal secured the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning set-piece after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Other Scores

• Turkey bounced back with a 6-1 victory over the Bulgarian side to stay close to Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was one of the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable win away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “We’re not thinking about Norway or our next opponents. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

Italy missed out for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now appears their most likely opportunity after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive win over Israel in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a game in hand on their competitors and are three points ahead of Israel. Estonia remain fourth on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the runners-up going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch the group leaders on the table, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot probably beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.