Late Goal from Rúben Neves Shocks the Irish Following Caoimhín Kelleher Stops Cristiano Ronaldo Penalty

The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for the Portuguese side with a dramatic winning goal in their World Cup qualifying encounter against Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had denied a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

Neves headed home during injury time to claim a 1-0 victory, four years after Ronaldo had scored twice late on to defeat a stubborn Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought draw, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a battling display that erased some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them facing elimination, with their first three Group F games having produced only a single point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of securing a qualifying place.

Major Moments

• Kelleher looked to have secured Ireland a point when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of added time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Group Results

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team boosted their chances of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs gave his team the advantage in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the victory in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

Serbia suffered a narrow loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the only goal for his team with a neat shot in late added time.

The Latvian side struggles in their group continued as they were held to a two-all tie at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their first point of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team maintained their impressive Group E run with a comfortable win over the Georgian side after goals from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The win extended the European champions’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having scored eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

Despite the absence of players such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game defending deep. Spain controlled the match with over eighty percent of the ball, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper their keeper preventing a rout.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the first half from a expertly taken set-piece routine, and his compatriot secured the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning set-piece after the Georgian keeper had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Other Scores

• Turkey bounced back with a comprehensive thrashing over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was one of the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable win away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or our next opponents. We know what we have to do.”

Italy missed out for the previous two global tournaments, on two occasions falling short in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their primary chance after Norway’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six games. Italy have 12 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 advance automatically for the tournament, with the runners-up entering the playoffs.

Italy host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on the table, the leaders’ far superior goal difference means a qualifying place probably beckons for the Italian squad.