Late Goal from Neves Stuns the Irish Following Caoimhín Kelleher Saves Ronaldo Spot-Kick

Rúben Neves was the hero for Portugal with a last-gasp winner in their World Cup qualifying clash against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had denied a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

Neves nodded in during stoppage time to secure a 1-0 victory, several seasons after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned point, but in the end suffered defeat, despite restoring a significant amount of honor with a gritty performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat puts them facing elimination, with their initial trio of Group F matches having yielded only a single draw. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of claiming a playoff spot.

Key Moments

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s effort had struck an Irish defender’s hand.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of stoppage time when he directed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Other Group Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their hopes of advancing by securing their initial victory with a two-goal triumph over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in Group F. Daniel Lukacs gave Hungary the lead in the first half and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the victory in second-half added time.

Group K

Serbia slipped to a 1-0 defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning England can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken shot in first-half added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in their group persisted as they were held to a 2-2 draw at home by Andorra. An Andorran player found the net for the away side 12 minutes from time to claim them their first point of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team maintained their dominant qualifying group campaign with a comfortable victory over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in Elche. The win extended the title holders’ perfect record in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgia team that spent the majority of the game sitting back. The home side dominated the match with over eighty percent of the ball, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

Pino opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a well-executed set-piece move, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the win in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Additional Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 thrashing over Bulgaria to stay close to the group leaders in Group E. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was one of the goal-getters.
• Italy boosted their prospects of at least making the knockout stage with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach commented: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or our next opponents. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the previous two global tournaments, on two occasions missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded backdoor route now looks their most likely opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 hammering over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six matches. The Italians have twelve points with a match less played on their rivals and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad stay fourth on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the playoffs.

The Italian national team face their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake Norway on the table, the leaders’ far superior goal ratio means a qualifying place likely awaits for the Italian squad.