Rúben Neves saved the day for the Portuguese side with a dramatic winner in their World Cup match against Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.
Match Summary
The Wolves midfielder nodded in during injury time to claim a narrow triumph, four years after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to overcome a stubborn Ireland team.
Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought point, but in the end left empty-handed, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a battling display that erased some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.
However, the defeat puts them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having produced only a single point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of securing a qualifying place.
Major Moments
- Kelleher looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s shot had hit an Irish defender’s arm.
- The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he headed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.
Additional Qualifying Results
Group F
The Hungarian team boosted their chances of advancing by securing their first win with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, moving above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the advantage in the opening period and a teammate secured the victory in late stoppage time.
England’s Group
Serbia slipped to a 1-0 defeat at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now secure their qualification from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken shot in first-half stoppage time.
Latvia struggles in their group continued as they were forced to a two-all draw at home by Andorra. An Andorran player 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 several matches.
Spain’s Group
Spain continued their dominant qualifying group campaign with a comfortable win over the Georgian side after goals from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The win extended the European champions’ perfect record in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three matches without letting in a goal.
Despite the unavailability of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgia team that spent most of the match sitting back. Spain controlled the match with over eighty percent of the ball, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.
Pino broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken dead-ball move, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the win in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s spot-kick.
Other Results
- Turkey bounced back with a 6-1 victory over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was among the goal-getters.
- The Italian squad boosted their hopes of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable victory 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 our responsibilities.”
Italy failed to qualify for the previous two World Cups, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now appears their primary opportunity after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 hammering over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six games. Italy have twelve points with a match less played on their rivals and are a trio of points ahead 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 going into the qualifying stage.
The Italian national team face their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ far superior goal ratio means a qualifying place probably awaits for the Italian squad.
