Late Header from Rúben Neves Stuns the Irish After Kelleher Stops Ronaldo Penalty

The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp winner in their World Cup qualifying encounter against Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a penalty from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

Neves headed home during added time to secure a 1-0 victory, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace at the death to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought point, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of honor with a battling display that erased some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

However, the loss puts them facing elimination, with their initial trio of Group F matches having produced only a solitary draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a qualifying place.

Key Moments

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s effort had hit an Irish defender’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of added time when he headed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Other Qualifying Results

Group F

Hungary enhanced their chances of advancing by picking up their first win with a two-goal triumph over Armenia, moving above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs provided Hungary the advantage in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the victory in second-half added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now secure their passage from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the only goal for his team with a neat shot in late added time.

Latvia struggles in their group persisted as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by Andorra. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors late on from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Group E

Spain maintained their impressive Group E campaign with a comfortable win over Georgia after strikes from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The win continued the title holders’ perfect record in qualifying, having scored 11 goals in three games without conceding.

Despite 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 spent the majority of the game defending deep. Spain controlled the match with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

Pino broke the deadlock in the first half from a well-executed dead-ball move, and his compatriot secured the victory in the second period with a spectacular free kick after Mamardashvili had denied a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Additional Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a 6-1 victory over Bulgaria to stay close to Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was one of the goal-getters.
• Italy improved their prospects of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable victory away to Estonia, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “We’re not thinking about Norway or Israel. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, on two occasions falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now looks their primary opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive hammering over Israel in Group I. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six matches. Italy have twelve points with a match less played on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of their next opponents. The Estonian squad stay in fourth place on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

The Italian national team host their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would secure second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch the group leaders on points, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a playoff spot probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.