🔗 Share this article

The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for Portugal with a last-gasp winning goal in their World Cup qualifying encounter against Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had denied a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

Neves found the net during stoppage time to snatch a slender victory, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace at the death to overcome a resilient Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought draw, but in the end suffered defeat, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a gritty display that erased some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

However, the loss leaves them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having yielded only a single draw. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of claiming a qualifying place.

Major Moments

• Kelleher seemed to have secured Ireland a draw when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s effort had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of added time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their hopes of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, climbing above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave his team the lead in the opening period and a teammate secured the points in second-half added time.

England’s Group

Serbia suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now secure their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the decisive strike for his team with a neat shot in first-half added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in their group continued as they were held to a two-all draw at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera scored for the away side late on from time to earn them their first point of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their impressive Group E campaign with a 2-0 victory over Georgia after strikes from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The result extended the European champions’ flawless run in qualifying, having scored eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

Despite the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that spent the majority of the game defending deep. The home side dominated the match with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or generate a clear chance, with only goalkeeper their keeper preventing a rout.

Pino broke the deadlock in the first half from a expertly taken set-piece move, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the second period with a stunning set-piece after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Scores

• Turkey bounced back with a 6-1 thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in their section. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least making the knockout stage with a comfortable win away to Estonia, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach said: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or our next opponents. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

Italy failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their most likely opportunity after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are top on eighteen points from six matches. Italy have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of Israel. The Estonian squad remain fourth on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on points, the Norwegians’ far superior goal ratio means a playoff spot probably beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.