🔗 Share this article

Rúben Neves saved the day for the Portuguese side with a dramatic winning goal in their World Cup qualifying clash against Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

Neves nodded in during injury time to claim a 1-0 victory, several seasons after Ronaldo had scored twice at the death to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned point, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite restoring a significant amount of pride with a battling display that erased some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

However, the defeat puts them staring down the barrel, with their first three Group F games having produced only a solitary point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming a qualifying place.

Major Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty 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 opening moments of added time when he headed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Qualifying Results

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team boosted their chances of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal triumph over Armenia, moving above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the advantage in the first half and a teammate made sure of the victory in late added time.

England’s Group

Serbia suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their qualification from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the only goal for his team with a well-taken volley in first-half stoppage time.

Latvia struggles in their group persisted as they were forced to a two-all draw at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera found the net for the away side late on from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

Spain continued their dominant Group E run with a 2-0 victory over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The win extended the title holders’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having scored eleven strikes in three matches without conceding.

Despite the unavailability of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad demonstrated their dominance against a Georgian team that passed most of the match sitting back. The home side controlled the match with over eighty percent of the ball, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or create a clear chance, with only shot-stopper their keeper averting a rout.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken dead-ball move, and his compatriot secured the win in the 64th minute with a spectacular free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Other Scores

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a comprehensive thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the scorers.
• Italy improved their prospects of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to Estonia, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

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

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two global tournaments, on two occasions missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded backdoor route now looks their most likely opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six games. Italy have twelve points with a game in hand on their competitors and are three points ahead of their next opponents. The Estonian squad remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

Italy face Israel on Tuesday, where a win would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on points, the Norwegians’ far superior goal ratio means a qualifying place probably beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.