🔗 Share this article

The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for Portugal with a last-gasp decisive strike in their World Cup encounter against Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had saved a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Overview

Neves nodded in during stoppage time to snatch a narrow triumph, four years after the star striker had bagged a brace at the death to defeat a stubborn Ireland team.

The Irish squad looked set to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought draw, but in the end left empty-handed, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a gritty display that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss puts them facing elimination, with their initial trio of Group F matches having yielded only a solitary draw. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a playoff spot.

Key Incidents

• Kelleher seemed to have earned Ireland a point when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s shot had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

Hungary boosted their chances of advancing by securing their first win with a 2-0 victory over the Armenian side, climbing above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave his team the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the points in late added time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 loss at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their qualification from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for his team with a neat volley in first-half stoppage time.

The Latvian side difficulties in their group continued as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Spain’s Group

Spain maintained their dominant Group E run with a 2-0 victory over the Georgian side after strikes from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in Elche. The result continued the title holders’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three matches without conceding.

Despite the absence of key figures such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their superiority against a Georgia team that spent most of the match defending deep. Spain controlled the encounter with over eighty percent of the ball, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a rout.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and his compatriot wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Other Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 victory over Bulgaria to stay close to Spain in their section. The Spanish club’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• Italy boosted their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable victory away to Estonia, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or our next opponents. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two global tournaments, on two occasions missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their primary chance after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive win over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are top 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 their next opponents. The Estonian squad remain in fourth place on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the tournament, with the runners-up entering the qualifying stage.

Italy host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically overtake the group leaders on the table, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place likely beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.