🔗 Share this article

Rúben Neves came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a injury-time winning goal in their World Cup qualifying clash against Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder headed home during stoppage time to claim a narrow victory, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace at the death to overcome a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to leave Lisbon with a well-earned point, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite restoring a good deal of honor with a gritty performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of Group F matches having yielded only a solitary draw. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of securing a playoff spot.

Key Moments

• Kelleher seemed to have earned Ireland a draw when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Group Results

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their chances of advancing by picking up their first win with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, moving above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in the standings. Daniel Lukacs gave his team the advantage in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the victory in second-half added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now secure their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken shot in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in their group persisted as they were held to a two-all draw at home by Andorra. An Andorran player found the net for the away side late on from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Group E

The Spanish national team continued their impressive qualifying group run with a comfortable win over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The result continued the title holders’ perfect run in qualifying, having scored eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

Despite the unavailability of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that spent most of the match sitting back. The home side controlled the match with more than 80% of the ball, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only goalkeeper their keeper preventing a heavy defeat.

Pino broke the deadlock in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball move, and Oyarzabal secured the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after Mamardashvili had saved Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Additional Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways 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 among the scorers.
• The Italian squad boosted their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable victory away to the Estonian team, 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 our responsibilities.”

Italy missed out for the last two global tournaments, twice falling short in the playoffs, and the dreaded backdoor route now appears their primary chance after Norway’s 5-0 hammering over the Israeli side in Group I. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are a trio of points ahead of their next opponents. The Estonian squad stay in fourth place on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the runners-up going into the qualifying stage.

Italy face their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically overtake the group leaders on the table, the leaders’ far superior goal ratio means a playoff spot likely awaits for the Italian squad.