Injury-Time Strike from Rúben Neves Shocks the Irish Following Caoimhín Kelleher Saves Ronaldo Spot-Kick

Rúben Neves came to the rescue for Portugal with a injury-time winner in their World Cup qualifying clash against Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder found the net during injury time to claim a narrow win, several seasons after the star striker had scored twice at the death to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a well-earned draw, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite regaining a significant amount of honor with a battling display that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

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

Key Moments

• Kelleher seemed 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 hand.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Group Results

Group F

Hungary boosted their chances of qualifying by securing their first win with a 2-0 triumph over the Armenian side, moving above their rivals into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs provided his team the lead in the opening period and a teammate secured the points in late added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the only goal for his team with a well-taken volley in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in their group persisted as they were forced to a two-all draw at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera scored for the away side 12 minutes from time to earn them their first point of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

Spain continued their impressive qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 win over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win extended the title holders’ perfect run in qualifying, having scored 11 goals in three matches without conceding.

Despite the absence of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, 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 more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a well-executed dead-ball move, and his compatriot wrapped up the win in the 64th minute with a spectacular set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Other Results

• 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 boosted their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach said: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or Israel. We are aware of what we have to do.”

Italy missed out for the last two global tournaments, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now appears their most likely chance after Norway’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in Group I. Norway are leading 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. Estonia remain fourth on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the playoffs.

The Italian national team host Israel on Tuesday, where a win would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on points, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot probably beckons for the Italian squad.