🔗 Share this article

Rúben Neves came to the rescue for Portugal with a last-gasp winning goal in their World Cup encounter against the Republic of Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had denied a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Summary

Neves found the net during stoppage time to secure a slender victory, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite restoring a good deal of honor with a gritty performance that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

However, the loss puts them in a difficult position, with their first three Group F games having yielded only a single point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of claiming a playoff place.

Major Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have secured Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s effort had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the first minute of added time when he headed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Other Group Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their chances of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal victory over Armenia, moving above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in Group F. Daniel Lukacs provided his team the advantage in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the points in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow loss at home to Albania, with the result meaning England can now seal 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 continued as they were held to a two-all tie at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera scored for the away side late on from time to claim them their first point of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team maintained their impressive Group E run with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after strikes from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The win continued the European champions’ perfect run in qualifying, having notched 11 goals in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that passed most of the match sitting back. The home side controlled the match with more than 80% of the ball, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper their keeper averting a rout.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a well-executed set-piece move, and his compatriot secured the win in the second period with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Additional Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a 6-1 thrashing over the Bulgarian side to stay close to the group leaders in their section. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad boosted their prospects of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “We’re not thinking about Norway or Israel. We are aware of what we have to do.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, twice missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now appears their most likely chance after Norway’s comprehensive hammering over the Israeli side in Group I. The Norwegians are top on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their competitors and are a trio of points clear of their next opponents. The Estonian squad stay in fourth place on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the playoffs.

The Italian national team face their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on the table, the leaders’ far superior goal ratio means a qualifying place likely beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.