Stoppage-Time Header from Neves Stuns the Irish After Kelleher Stops Cristiano Ronaldo Penalty

The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for Portugal with a injury-time decisive strike in their World Cup match against Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had saved a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Summary

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during added time to claim a narrow triumph, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace at the death to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought point, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a battling display that erased some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them in a difficult position, with their first three Group F matches having yielded only a single point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of claiming a qualifying spot.

Key Moments

• Kelleher looked to have secured 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 arm.
• Neves saved Portugal in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Other Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their chances of advancing by picking up their first win with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, moving above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in the standings. Daniel Lukacs gave Hungary the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber secured the victory in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team suffered a narrow loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now secure their passage from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the only goal for his team with a well-taken volley in first-half stoppage time.

Latvia struggles in their group continued as they were forced to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the away side late on from time to earn them their first point of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Group E

The Spanish national team continued their dominant qualifying group campaign with a comfortable victory over the Georgian side after strikes from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The result extended the European champions’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having notched 11 goals in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that spent most of the match defending deep. Spain controlled the match with more than 80% possession, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a rout.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the first half from a well-executed dead-ball routine, and his compatriot secured the win in the 64th minute with a spectacular set-piece after Mamardashvili had denied a Spanish player’s penalty.

Additional Scores

• Turkey bounced back with a 6-1 thrashing over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on the group leaders in their section. The Spanish club’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• Italy boosted their prospects of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable win away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or our next opponents. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

Italy missed out for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded playoff path now appears their primary chance after Norway’s 5-0 hammering over Israel in Group I. Norway are top on 18 points from six games. Italy have twelve points with a match less played on their competitors and are a trio of points clear of their next opponents. The Estonian squad remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the runners-up going into 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 catch the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ far superior goal ratio means a qualifying place probably beckons for the Italian squad.