Injury-Time Goal from Neves Shocks Ireland Following Kelleher Denies Cristiano Ronaldo Penalty

Rúben Neves came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a dramatic winner in their World Cup qualifying encounter against Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a penalty from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

The Wolves midfielder found the net during injury time to secure a 1-0 win, several seasons after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but in the end left empty-handed, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a gritty display that erased some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss puts them facing elimination, with their first three qualifying group games having produced only a single point. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of securing a playoff place.

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 effort had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of added time when he headed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Group Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team enhanced their chances of advancing by securing their first win with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, moving above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in the standings. Daniel Lukacs gave Hungary the lead in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the victory in late added time.

England’s Group

Serbia slipped to a 1-0 defeat at home to the Albanian squad, 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 his team with a well-taken shot in late stoppage time.

Latvia difficulties in their group continued as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera found the net for the away side late on 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 dominant Group E run with a 2-0 win over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win extended the title holders’ flawless run in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their superiority against a Georgia team that passed the majority of the game defending deep. Spain dominated the match with over eighty percent of the ball, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the first half from a well-executed set-piece move, and his compatriot secured the win in the second period with a spectacular free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied a Spanish player’s penalty.

Other Scores

• Turkey bounced back with a 6-1 victory over the Bulgarian side to stay close to the group leaders in their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach 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 hammering over Israel in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six games. Italy have twelve points with a match less played on their competitors and are a trio of points clear of their next opponents. Estonia remain in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

Italy face Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically catch the group leaders on the table, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place likely beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.