Stoppage-Time Strike from Neves Shocks Ireland Following Kelleher Saves Ronaldo Penalty

The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for Portugal with a injury-time winning goal in their World Cup clash against the Republic of Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had denied a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Summary

Neves nodded in during added time to claim a 1-0 victory, four years after the star striker had scored twice late on to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a well-earned draw, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a battling performance that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat leaves them facing elimination, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having yielded only a single draw. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of claiming a playoff place.

Key Moments

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a point when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s effort had hit an Irish defender’s arm.
• Neves saved Portugal in the opening moments of stoppage time when he headed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Group Results

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, climbing above their rivals into second place behind Portugal in the standings. Daniel Lukacs provided Hungary the lead in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the points in second-half stoppage time.

Group K

Serbia suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the only goal for Albania with a neat volley in first-half stoppage time.

Latvia difficulties in Group K persisted as they were held to a 2-2 draw at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera found the net for the away side late on from time to earn them their first point of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Group E

The Spanish national team continued their dominant qualifying group campaign with a comfortable win over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The result continued the title holders’ flawless run in qualifying, having scored eleven strikes in three matches without conceding.

Despite the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that passed most of the match defending deep. Spain 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 goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a rout.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken set-piece move, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had saved a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Additional Scores

• Turkey bounced back with a 6-1 thrashing over the Bulgarian side to stay close to the group leaders in Group E. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was one of the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

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

The Azzurri missed out for the last two World Cups, twice falling short in the playoffs, and the dreaded backdoor route now looks their most likely chance after Norway’s 5-0 win over Israel in Group I. Norway are leading on 18 points from six games. The Italians have twelve points with a game in hand on their competitors and are three points clear of Israel. Estonia remain fourth on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the qualifying stage.

Italy face Israel on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still theoretically overtake Norway on points, the Norwegians’ much better goal difference means a playoff spot likely beckons for the Italian squad.