Injury-Time Header from Rúben Neves Shocks Ireland After Kelleher Denies Cristiano Ronaldo Spot-Kick

Rúben Neves was the hero for Portugal with a last-gasp winner in their World Cup qualifying match against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Overview

The Wolves midfielder found the net during injury time to secure a narrow win, several seasons after the star striker had scored twice late on to overcome a resilient Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to leave Lisbon with a well-earned point, but in the end suffered defeat, despite regaining a significant amount of honor with a gritty performance that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss puts them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of qualifying group matches having yielded only a single draw. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of claiming a playoff place.

Key Moments

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves saved Portugal in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their hopes of advancing by securing their initial victory with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, moving above their rivals into second place behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the lead in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the points in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

Serbia suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning England can now seal their passage from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the only goal for Albania with a well-taken volley in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side difficulties in their group continued as they were forced to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera found the net for the away side 12 minutes from time to earn them their first point of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their impressive Group E campaign with a comfortable win over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The result extended the title holders’ flawless record in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that passed most of the match sitting back. Spain controlled the match with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

Pino opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a spectacular set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Additional Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a comprehensive thrashing over Bulgaria to stay close to Spain in their section. The Spanish club’s a young talent was one of the scorers.
• Italy improved their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or Israel. We are aware of what we have to do.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the previous two global tournaments, on two occasions missing out in the playoffs, and the feared playoff path now appears their most likely chance after Norway’s comprehensive win over Israel in their qualifying group. Norway are leading on 18 points from six matches. Italy have 12 points with a match less played on their rivals and are three points ahead of their next opponents. The Estonian squad stay fourth on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on points, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a qualifying place probably awaits for the Italian squad.