Injury-Time Header from Rúben Neves Sinks Ireland Following Kelleher Saves Ronaldo Penalty

Rúben Neves came to the rescue for Portugal with a dramatic winner in their World Cup encounter against the Republic of Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a penalty from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

Neves nodded in during stoppage time to secure a slender victory, four years after Ronaldo had scored twice at the death to defeat a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to leave Lisbon with a well-earned point, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a gritty performance that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

However, the defeat puts them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having yielded only a solitary draw. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of securing a qualifying place.

Key Moments

• Kelleher looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s shot had struck an Irish defender’s hand.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Group Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of qualifying by securing their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, moving above their rivals into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the advantage in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the points in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the only goal for his team with a well-taken shot in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side difficulties in their group continued as they were held to a two-all draw at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their dominant qualifying group run with a comfortable victory over Georgia after goals from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The result continued the title holders’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having scored eleven strikes in three matches without conceding.

Despite the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game sitting back. The home side controlled the encounter with over eighty percent of the ball, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or create a clear chance, with only shot-stopper their keeper averting a rout.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the first half from a expertly taken set-piece move, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Other Scores

• Turkey bounced back with a comprehensive thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in their section. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was among the goal-getters.
• Italy improved their prospects of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or our next opponents. We know what we have to do.”

The Azzurri missed out for the last two World Cups, on two occasions falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now looks their primary opportunity after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive hammering over Israel in their qualifying group. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the World Cup, with the runners-up going into the qualifying stage.

Italy host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake Norway on points, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.