🔗 Share this article

The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for the Portuguese side with a injury-time winning goal in their World Cup qualifying encounter against Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Overview

The Wolves midfielder headed home during added time to secure a 1-0 victory, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

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

However, the defeat puts them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having produced only a single point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a qualifying spot.

Major Moments

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

Other Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their chances of advancing by securing their first win with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, moving above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in the standings. Daniel Lukacs gave Hungary the lead in the first half and a teammate made sure of the victory in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now secure their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for Albania with a neat volley in late added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in Group K persisted as they were forced to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors late on from time to earn them their first point of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their impressive qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The win continued the title holders’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having notched eleven strikes in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their superiority against a Georgia team that spent most of the match defending deep. The home side dominated the match with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or create a clear chance, with only goalkeeper their keeper preventing a rout.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the first half from a expertly taken set-piece move, and his compatriot wrapped up the win in the 64th minute with a stunning set-piece after Mamardashvili had denied Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Other Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in their section. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was one of the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least making the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, another attacker, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “We’re not thinking about Norway or Israel. We know what we have to do.”

Italy missed out for the previous two World Cups, on two occasions falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now looks their most likely chance after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive hammering over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are top on eighteen points from six games. The Italians have 12 points with a match less played on their competitors and are three points clear of their next opponents. Estonia remain fourth on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the tournament, with the runners-up going into the playoffs.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still theoretically overtake the group leaders on the table, the leaders’ far superior goal ratio means a playoff spot probably awaits for the Italian squad.