🔗 Share this article

Rúben Neves came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a injury-time winning goal in their World Cup qualifying encounter against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Game Summary

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during added time to snatch a 1-0 victory, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace at the death to overcome a resilient Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but in the end suffered defeat, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a battling display that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

However, the loss leaves them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of qualifying group matches having yielded only a solitary draw. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of claiming a playoff place.

Key Incidents

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a point when he brilliantly kept out 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 added time when he headed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Other Group Results

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their hopes of qualifying by picking up their first win with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, moving above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in the standings. Daniel Lukacs gave his team the lead in the first half and Zsombor Gruber secured the victory in late stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow defeat at home to Albania, with the result meaning England can now secure their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for Albania with a neat volley in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K continued as they were held to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player found the net for the away side late on from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

Spain maintained their dominant Group E run with a 2-0 win over Georgia 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 eleven strikes in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and Rodri due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgia team that passed most of the match sitting back. The home side dominated the match with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

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

Other Scores

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a 6-1 thrashing over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in Group E. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was one of the scorers.
• Italy boosted their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or our next opponents. We know our responsibilities.”

Italy failed to qualify for the previous two World Cups, on two occasions falling short in the playoffs, and the feared playoff path now appears their primary opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in Group I. The Norwegians are top on eighteen points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a match less played on their rivals and are three points ahead of their next opponents. The Estonian squad remain in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the tournament, with the runners-up entering the playoffs.

Italy face their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on points, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place likely awaits for the Italian squad.