Late Goal from Rúben Neves Sinks Ireland After Kelleher Denies Ronaldo Spot-Kick

Rúben Neves came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a injury-time decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying clash against Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

Neves nodded in during injury time to snatch a 1-0 victory, several seasons after Ronaldo had scored twice late on to overcome a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but in the end left empty-handed, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a gritty performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat puts them staring down the barrel, with their first three qualifying group matches having produced only a solitary draw. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of claiming a playoff spot.

Key Moments

• Kelleher looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their hopes of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided his team the lead in the opening period and a teammate secured the points in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

Serbia suffered a narrow loss at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now secure their qualification from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken volley in late added time.

Latvia difficulties in Group K continued as they were forced to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player 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 several matches.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their dominant Group E run with a comfortable win over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in Elche. The win continued the title holders’ perfect record in qualifying, having scored eleven strikes in three games 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 demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that passed most of the match sitting back. Spain controlled the match with over eighty percent of the ball, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or create a clear chance, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a rout.

Pino broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and his compatriot wrapped up the victory in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had denied a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Other Scores

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over Bulgaria to stay close to Spain in their section. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach commented: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or our next opponents. We know what we have to do.”

Italy failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the feared backdoor route now appears their primary chance after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 win over Israel in their qualifying group. Norway are leading on 18 points from six matches. Italy have twelve points with a match less played on their rivals and are three points ahead of Israel. Estonia stay fourth on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the runners-up going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team face their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake the group leaders on points, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot probably beckons for the Italian squad.