Stoppage-Time Header from Rúben Neves Stuns Ireland After Kelleher Denies Cristiano Ronaldo Penalty

Rúben Neves came to the rescue for Portugal with a last-gasp decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying encounter against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

Neves nodded in during injury time to claim a slender triumph, several seasons after Ronaldo had bagged a brace at the death to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a well-earned draw, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of pride with a gritty display that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

However, the defeat leaves them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having produced only a single draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of securing a playoff place.

Key Moments

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have earned Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s effort had struck an Irish defender’s hand.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of stoppage time when he headed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their chances of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, moving above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in the standings. Daniel Lukacs gave his team the lead in the first half and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the victory in late stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning England can now seal their qualification from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the only goal for his team with a neat volley in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K persisted as they were forced to a two-all tie at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera found the net for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their dominant qualifying group campaign with a comfortable win over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The result continued the European champions’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having scored eleven strikes in three matches without conceding.

Despite the unavailability of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that spent most of the match defending deep. The home side dominated the encounter with over eighty percent of the ball, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or create a clear chance, with only goalkeeper their keeper preventing a rout.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball move, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the win in the second period with a stunning set-piece after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a 6-1 victory over the Bulgarian side to stay close to Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was one of the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or Israel. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their most likely chance after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six matches. Italy have twelve 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 advance automatically for the tournament, with the second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

Italy face their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a qualifying place probably beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.