🔗 Share this article

Rúben Neves saved the day for Portugal with a injury-time decisive strike in their World Cup match against Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had saved a penalty from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

Neves headed home during stoppage time to claim a slender win, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace at the death to overcome a stubborn Ireland team.

The Irish squad looked set to depart the Portuguese capital 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 embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

However, the loss puts them staring down the barrel, with their first three qualifying group games having yielded only a single point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a playoff spot.

Major Moments

• Kelleher looked to have secured Ireland a point when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves saved Portugal in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Group Results

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their hopes of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in the standings. Daniel Lukacs gave Hungary the advantage in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the points in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the only goal for his team with a well-taken shot in first-half added time.

Latvia struggles in Group K persisted as they were forced to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player found the net for the away side 12 minutes from time to claim them their first point of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

Spain continued their impressive Group E campaign with a 2-0 victory over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The result continued the European champions’ flawless run in qualifying, having notched 11 goals in three games without letting in a goal.

Despite the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that passed the majority of the game defending deep. Spain controlled the encounter with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a rout.

Pino opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece move, and his compatriot secured the victory in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Other Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 thrashing over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on the group leaders in their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was one of the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable win away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from a forward, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “We’re not thinking about Norway or our next opponents. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

Italy failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, twice missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their primary chance after Norway’s 5-0 hammering over Israel in their qualifying group. Norway are top on 18 points from six matches. The Italians have twelve points with a game in hand on their competitors and are three points clear of Israel. Estonia remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team face their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically overtake the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a playoff spot probably awaits for the Italian squad.