Late Goal from Neves Shocks the Irish After Caoimhín Kelleher Denies Cristiano Ronaldo Penalty

Rúben Neves saved the day for Portugal with a dramatic winning goal in their World Cup qualifying match against the Republic of Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

Neves nodded in during added time to snatch a slender triumph, four years after the star striker had scored twice at the death to overcome a resilient Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of honor with a gritty display that erased some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

However, the loss leaves them facing elimination, with their first three Group F games having produced only a solitary point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a qualifying spot.

Major Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have earned Ireland a draw when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of stoppage time when he headed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Other Group Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary enhanced their chances of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, climbing above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided his team the lead in the first half and a teammate secured the points in late added time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow loss at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning England can now seal their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the only goal for his team with a well-taken shot in first-half added time.

Latvia struggles in their group continued as they were forced to a 2-2 draw at home by Andorra. 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 continued their impressive qualifying group run with a comfortable victory over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The win continued the European champions’ perfect record in the qualifiers, having notched 11 goals in three games without conceding.

Despite the unavailability of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their dominance against a Georgian team that passed the majority of the game defending deep. Spain controlled the match with over eighty percent of the ball, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a rout.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball move, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the 64th minute with a stunning set-piece after Mamardashvili had denied Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Additional Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive thrashing over the Bulgarian side to stay close to the group leaders in Group E. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was one of the goal-getters.
• Italy boosted their hopes 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 Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach commented: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or Israel. We are aware of what we have to do.”

Italy missed out for the last two global tournaments, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the feared playoff path now looks their primary chance after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive hammering over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have twelve points with a match less played on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of their next opponents. Estonia stay in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the qualifying stage.

Italy face Israel 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 likely awaits for the Italian squad.