🔗 Share this article

The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for Portugal with a last-gasp winning goal in their World Cup qualifying clash against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Overview

The Wolves midfielder headed home during injury time to snatch a 1-0 triumph, four years after the star striker had scored twice late on to defeat a resilient Ireland team.

The Irish squad looked set to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought draw, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite regaining a significant amount of honor with a gritty display that erased some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them facing elimination, with their first three Group F matches having produced only a single point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of securing a playoff spot.

Major Moments

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s shot had struck an Irish defender’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of added time when he directed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Other Group Results

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a 2-0 victory over the Armenian side, climbing above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in the standings. Daniel Lukacs provided his team the lead in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber secured the victory in second-half stoppage time.

Group K

Serbia slipped to a 1-0 loss at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now secure their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for Albania with a neat shot in late added time.

The Latvian side struggles in their group persisted as they were held to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera scored for the away side 12 minutes from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Spain’s Group

Spain maintained their impressive qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 victory over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The win extended the European champions’ perfect record in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three games without letting in a goal.

Despite the unavailability of players such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that passed the majority of the game defending deep. The home side dominated the match with over eighty percent possession, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a rout.

The scorer opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a well-executed dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the win in the 64th minute with a spectacular free kick after Mamardashvili had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• Turkey bounced back with a comprehensive victory over the Bulgarian side to stay close to Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the scorers.
• Italy boosted their prospects of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

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

Italy failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, twice missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now looks their most likely opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 win over Israel in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are leading on 18 points from six matches. The Italians have twelve points with a game in hand on their competitors and are a trio of points clear of Israel. The Estonian squad remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the qualifying stage.

Italy face Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch the group leaders on points, the Norwegians’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place probably beckons for the Italian squad.