🔗 Share this article

Rúben Neves came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a dramatic decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying clash against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

Neves found the net during injury time to snatch a slender win, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to defeat a resilient Ireland team.

The Irish squad appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a well-earned draw, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite regaining a good deal of honor with a gritty display that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat puts them staring down the barrel, with their first three qualifying group matches having yielded only a single point. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of claiming a qualifying spot.

Major Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• 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 Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Results

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, moving above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave his team the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber secured the victory in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

Serbia slipped to a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now seal their qualification from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for Albania with a neat shot in first-half stoppage time.

Latvia difficulties in Group K persisted as they were held to a two-all tie at home by Andorra. An Andorran player scored for the away side late on from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their dominant qualifying group campaign with a comfortable win over the Georgian side after strikes from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The result extended the title holders’ flawless run in qualifying, having scored 11 goals in three matches without conceding.

In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that spent the majority of the game sitting back. The home side controlled the encounter with over eighty percent of the ball, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

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

Other Results

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a comprehensive thrashing over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in their section. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was among the goal-getters.
• Italy improved their hopes of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable win away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

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

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two global tournaments, on two occasions falling short in the playoffs, and the feared playoff path now looks their primary chance after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 hammering over Israel in Group I. Norway are top on eighteen points from six matches. Italy have 12 points with a match less played on their competitors and are three points clear of Israel. Estonia stay fourth on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

The Italian national team face their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch the group leaders on the table, the leaders’ far superior goal ratio means a qualifying place probably beckons for the Italian squad.