Injury-Time Goal from Neves Shocks Ireland After Kelleher Saves Cristiano Ronaldo Spot-Kick

Rúben Neves saved the day for Portugal with a dramatic winner in their World Cup qualifying encounter against the Republic of Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Summary

Neves found the net during injury time to secure a narrow triumph, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace at the death to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned point, but in the end suffered defeat, despite restoring a significant amount of pride with a gritty performance that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

However, the defeat leaves them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having yielded only a solitary point. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of claiming a qualifying place.

Major Moments

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have earned Ireland a draw when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of added time when he directed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Other Group Results

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team boosted their chances of advancing by securing their first win with a 2-0 triumph over the Armenian side, climbing above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in the standings. Daniel Lukacs provided Hungary the lead in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber secured the points in second-half added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning England can now secure their passage from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the decisive strike for Albania with a neat shot in late added time.

The Latvian side struggles in their group persisted as they were forced to a two-all draw at home by Andorra. An Andorran player found the net for the away side late on from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their dominant qualifying group run with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after goals from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The result extended the European champions’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having notched eleven strikes in three matches without conceding.

In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their superiority against a Georgia team that spent most of the match sitting back. Spain controlled the match with more than 80% of the ball, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a heavy defeat.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the first half from a expertly taken set-piece move, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the win in the second period with a spectacular free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Other Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 thrashing over Bulgaria to stay close to the group leaders in Group E. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or our next opponents. We know what we have to do.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the previous two global tournaments, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded backdoor route now appears their most likely opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 hammering over Israel in Group I. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six matches. Italy have twelve points with a match less played on their competitors and are three points clear of their next opponents. The Estonian squad remain in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, with the runners-up going into the qualifying stage.

Italy face their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch the group leaders on points, the Norwegians’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.