🔗 Share this article

Rúben Neves came to the rescue for Portugal with a last-gasp decisive strike in their World Cup match against Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

Neves headed home during added time to claim a slender win, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a well-earned draw, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite restoring a significant amount of honor with a battling display that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat puts them staring down the barrel, with their first three qualifying group games having yielded only a single draw. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming a qualifying place.

Major Moments

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have secured Ireland a draw when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s effort had struck Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the first minute of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Qualifying Results

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their hopes of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, moving above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the lead in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the points in late added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now secure their qualification from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the only goal for his team with a well-taken shot in first-half added time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K persisted as they were forced to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Group E

The Spanish national team continued their dominant qualifying group run with a comfortable win over Georgia after goals from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win continued the title holders’ perfect record in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgia team that spent most of the match defending deep. Spain controlled the match with over eighty percent of the ball, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a rout.

Pino opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece move, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the win in the 64th minute with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Additional Scores

• Turkey bounced back with a comprehensive thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in their section. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad boosted their prospects of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or Israel. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

Italy failed to qualify for the previous two global tournaments, on two occasions missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now looks their most likely opportunity after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 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 competitors and are three points ahead of their next opponents. Estonia remain fourth on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the qualifying stage.

Italy host Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake the group leaders on points, the Norwegians’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place probably beckons for the Italian squad.