🔗 Share this article

The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for Portugal with a injury-time decisive strike in their World Cup match against the Republic of Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had denied a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Summary

Neves found the net during added time to snatch a narrow victory, several seasons after Ronaldo had scored twice at the death to overcome a resilient Ireland team.

The Irish squad appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought point, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite regaining a good deal of honor with a gritty display that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss puts them facing elimination, with their initial trio of Group F games having yielded only a single draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a playoff place.

Major Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s shot had struck an Irish defender’s hand.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of added time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Group Results

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team enhanced their chances of qualifying by picking up their first win with a two-goal victory over Armenia, moving above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the lead in the opening period and a teammate secured the points in late added time.

Group K

Serbia suffered a narrow defeat at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning England can now secure their qualification from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the decisive strike for Albania with a neat shot in first-half stoppage time.

The Latvian side difficulties in Group K persisted as they were held to a 2-2 draw at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera scored for the visitors late on from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

Spain continued their dominant qualifying group campaign with a comfortable win over the Georgian side after strikes from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win extended the title holders’ perfect record in qualifying, having notched 11 goals in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of the absence of players such as a talented winger, another forward, and Rodri due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their superiority against a Georgia team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. The home side controlled the match with over eighty percent of the ball, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

Pino broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Additional Scores

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive victory over the Bulgarian side 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 making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or Israel. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

Italy missed out for the last two World Cups, twice falling short in the playoffs, and the feared backdoor route now looks their primary chance after Norway’s 5-0 hammering over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have 12 points with a match less played on their rivals and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad stay in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

Italy host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically catch the group leaders on points, the Norwegians’ much better goal difference means a playoff spot likely awaits for the Italian squad.