Stoppage-Time Strike from Neves Stuns the Irish Following Caoimhín Kelleher Saves Ronaldo Penalty

The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for Portugal with a dramatic winning goal in their World Cup qualifying clash against Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had denied a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Summary

Neves found the net during stoppage time to snatch a slender triumph, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace at the death to overcome a resilient Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought point, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a battling performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

However, the defeat puts them facing elimination, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having yielded only a solitary draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming a qualifying spot.

Major Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have earned Ireland a point when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s effort had hit Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary enhanced their hopes of qualifying 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 provided Hungary the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber secured the points in second-half added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now secure their passage from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for his team with a neat shot in late added time.

Latvia struggles in their group persisted as they were forced to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player found the net for the away side 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

Spain maintained their impressive qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 victory over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The result continued the title holders’ perfect record in qualifying, having scored eleven strikes in three matches without letting in a goal.

Despite the absence of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to injuries, the Spanish squad demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that passed most of the match sitting back. Spain controlled the encounter with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper their keeper preventing a rout.

Pino opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a well-executed dead-ball move, and his compatriot wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Other Scores

• Turkey bounced back with a comprehensive victory over the Bulgarian side to stay close to Spain in Group E. Real Madrid’s a young talent was one of the goal-getters.
• Italy improved their prospects of at least making the knockout stage with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “We’re not thinking about Norway or Israel. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their most likely chance after Norway’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. Norway are top on 18 points from six games. The Italians have twelve points with a game in hand on their rivals and are a trio of points ahead of their next opponents. The Estonian squad stay fourth on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

Italy face their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically catch the group leaders on points, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a playoff spot probably beckons for the Italian squad.