Injury-Time Strike from Neves Shocks the Irish After Caoimhín Kelleher Stops Cristiano Ronaldo Spot-Kick

Rúben Neves was the hero for the Portuguese side with a dramatic winning goal in their World Cup encounter against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

Neves found the net during injury time to claim a 1-0 win, several seasons after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to overcome a stubborn Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought draw, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a gritty display that erased some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat leaves them facing elimination, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having yielded only a solitary draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of claiming a qualifying spot.

Key Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have secured Ireland a point when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s effort had struck an Irish defender’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he headed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Other Qualifying Results

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their hopes of qualifying by picking up their first win with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, moving above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided his team the lead in the first half and a teammate secured the victory in second-half added time.

Group K

Serbia suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now secure their passage from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the only goal for Albania with a neat volley in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K continued as they were held to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the visitors 12 minutes 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 maintained their dominant Group E campaign with a 2-0 victory over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in Elche. The win continued the title holders’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having scored eleven strikes in three matches without letting in a goal.

Despite the absence of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and Rodri due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their dominance against a Georgia team that spent the majority of the game defending deep. Spain controlled the encounter with over eighty percent of the ball, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper their keeper averting a rout.

Pino opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a well-executed dead-ball move, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Additional Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive thrashing over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in Group E. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad boosted their prospects of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach said: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or Israel. We know what we have to do.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, twice falling short in the playoffs, and the feared playoff path now appears their primary chance after Norway’s 5-0 win over Israel in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six matches. Italy have 12 points with a match less played on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of Israel. Estonia stay fourth on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the runners-up going into the qualifying stage.

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