Injury-Time Strike from Rúben Neves Sinks the Irish After Kelleher Saves Cristiano Ronaldo Penalty

Rúben Neves was the hero for Portugal with a last-gasp decisive strike in their World Cup match against Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Game Summary

Neves headed home during added time to snatch a narrow triumph, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace at the death to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a battling display that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss puts them facing elimination, with their first three Group F matches having produced only a single draw. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of claiming a qualifying spot.

Major Moments

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have earned Ireland a draw when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s effort had struck Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the first minute of stoppage time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Group Results

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, climbing above their rivals into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs gave Hungary the lead in the first half and Zsombor Gruber secured the victory in late added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now seal their qualification from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken shot in first-half added time.

Latvia difficulties in their group persisted as they were held to a two-all tie at home by Andorra. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors late on from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Group E

Spain maintained their impressive qualifying group run with a 2-0 win over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The result extended the European champions’ flawless run in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

Despite the unavailability of players such as a talented winger, another forward, and Rodri due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgia team that passed most of the match defending deep. Spain dominated the encounter with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a well-executed dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the 64th minute with a stunning set-piece after Mamardashvili had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• Turkey bounced back with a comprehensive thrashing over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was one of the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad boosted their prospects of at least making the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “We’re not thinking about Norway or Israel. We know our responsibilities.”

Italy failed to qualify for the previous two World Cups, twice falling short in the playoffs, and the dreaded backdoor route 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 games. Italy have twelve points with a game in hand on their rivals and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad remain fourth on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the World Cup, with the runners-up going into the playoffs.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a win would secure second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.