🔗 Share this article

Rúben Neves saved the day for Portugal with a last-gasp decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying encounter against Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had denied a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

Neves found the net during injury time to claim a 1-0 victory, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to defeat a stubborn Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a well-earned point, but in the end suffered defeat, despite regaining a good deal of honor with a battling performance that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

However, the loss leaves them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of Group F games having yielded only a single point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of claiming a playoff spot.

Key Incidents

• Kelleher looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s effort had struck an Irish defender’s arm.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of added time when he headed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Results

Portugal’s Group

Hungary enhanced their chances of advancing by picking up their first win with a two-goal victory over Armenia, moving above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in the standings. Daniel Lukacs provided his team the advantage in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the points in late added time.

England’s Group

Serbia slipped to a narrow loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning England can now seal their passage from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the decisive strike for his team with a neat volley in first-half stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K continued as they were forced to a 2-2 tie at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera found the net for the away side 12 minutes from time to earn them their first point of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their dominant Group E campaign with a comfortable victory over the Georgian side after goals from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The result extended the European champions’ flawless run in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that spent most of the match sitting back. The home side dominated the encounter 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 preventing a rout.

Pino opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece move, and his compatriot secured the win in the second period with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied a Spanish player’s penalty.

Additional Scores

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a comprehensive thrashing over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was one of the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach said: “We’re not thinking about Norway or our next opponents. We know our responsibilities.”

Italy failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, twice missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now looks their most likely opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 hammering over the Israeli side in Group I. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six matches. Italy have twelve points with a game in hand on their competitors and are a trio of points clear of their next opponents. Estonia stay in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the runners-up entering the playoffs.

Italy face Israel on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch the group leaders on points, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a playoff spot probably awaits for the Italian squad.