Stoppage-Time Header from Rúben Neves Sinks Ireland Following Kelleher Denies Ronaldo Spot-Kick

Rúben Neves saved the day for the Portuguese side with a injury-time decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying match against the Republic of Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Overview

The Wolves midfielder headed home during stoppage time to secure a slender triumph, several seasons after Ronaldo had scored twice late on to overcome a stubborn Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but in the end suffered defeat, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a battling display that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

However, the loss puts them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having produced only a single draw. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a playoff spot.

Major Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have earned Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the first minute of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Group Results

Group F

Hungary enhanced their hopes of advancing by picking up their first win with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, moving above their rivals into second place behind the group leaders in the standings. Daniel Lukacs gave Hungary the lead in the first half and a teammate secured the points in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning England can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the only goal for his team with a neat shot in first-half stoppage time.

Latvia difficulties in Group K persisted as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera scored for the visitors late on from time to earn them their first point of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Spain’s Group

Spain maintained their impressive Group E campaign with a 2-0 victory over the Georgian side after goals from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The result continued the title holders’ flawless record in qualifying, having scored 11 goals in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that spent the majority of the game sitting back. The home side dominated the match with more than 80% of the ball, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper their keeper preventing a heavy defeat.

Pino opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a well-executed dead-ball routine, and his compatriot secured the win in the 64th minute with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Additional Scores

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over the Bulgarian side to stay close to Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was one of the scorers.
• The Italian squad boosted their hopes of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or Israel. We know what we have to do.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the previous two global tournaments, twice falling short in the playoffs, and the feared playoff path now appears their most likely opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six matches. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points clear of Israel. Estonia remain in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the qualifying stage.

Italy host Israel on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on points, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place probably awaits for the Italian squad.