🔗 Share this article

Rúben Neves was the hero for the Portuguese side with a injury-time decisive strike in their World Cup clash against the Republic of Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Overview

Neves found the net during stoppage time to secure a narrow win, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace at the death to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a well-earned draw, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of honor with a battling performance that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

However, the loss leaves them facing elimination, with their first three qualifying group matches having yielded only a single draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a qualifying place.

Key Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have earned Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s effort had hit Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of stoppage time when he headed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their chances of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, moving above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided his team the lead in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the victory in second-half added time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their qualification from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the only goal for Albania with a neat shot in late stoppage time.

Latvia struggles in Group K persisted as they were held to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera scored for the away side late on from time to claim them their first point of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team maintained their impressive qualifying group campaign with a comfortable win over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The win continued the European champions’ flawless run in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad demonstrated their dominance against a Georgian team that spent most of the match sitting back. The home side dominated the match with more than 80% possession, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a heavy defeat.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a well-executed set-piece routine, and his compatriot secured the win in the second period with a stunning set-piece after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Additional Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways 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 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, another attacker, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach commented: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or Israel. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

Italy missed out for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded playoff path now appears their primary opportunity after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in Group I. Norway are top on 18 points from six matches. Italy have twelve points with a game in hand on their competitors and are a trio of points clear of their next opponents. The Estonian squad stay fourth on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

Italy face Israel on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch the group leaders on points, the leaders’ far superior goal difference means a playoff spot likely beckons for the Italian squad.