🔗 Share this article

Rúben Neves came to the rescue for Portugal with a last-gasp winning goal in their World Cup encounter against Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Overview

The Wolves midfielder headed home during stoppage time to secure a slender win, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace at the death to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought draw, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite restoring a significant amount of pride with a battling display that erased some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

However, the loss leaves them facing elimination, with their first three Group F matches having yielded only a solitary draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of claiming a playoff place.

Key Incidents

• Kelleher seemed to have earned Ireland a point when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s effort had hit an Irish defender’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary enhanced their hopes of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, climbing above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the lead in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the victory in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now secure their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the only goal for Albania with a well-taken volley in first-half stoppage time.

The Latvian side difficulties in Group K continued as they were forced to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera scored for the away side 12 minutes from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team maintained their impressive qualifying group run with a comfortable victory over the Georgian side after strikes from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win extended the title holders’ perfect record in the qualifiers, having notched eleven strikes in three matches without conceding.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that passed most of the match sitting back. Spain controlled the match 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 Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a rout.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece routine, and his compatriot wrapped up the win in the 64th minute with a spectacular free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Additional Scores

• Turkey bounced back with a 6-1 victory over the Bulgarian side to stay close to Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was one of the goal-getters.
• Italy boosted their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach said: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or Israel. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, twice missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now appears their primary 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 12 points with a game in hand on their competitors and are three points clear of Israel. The Estonian squad remain in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a win would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically catch the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ far superior goal ratio means a qualifying place probably beckons for the Italian squad.