🔗 Share this article

The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for Portugal with a injury-time decisive strike in their World Cup clash against Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had saved a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Summary

Neves nodded in during added time to secure a narrow triumph, four years after the star striker had scored twice late on to overcome a resilient Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a well-earned point, but in the end suffered defeat, despite restoring a good deal of honor with a battling display that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat leaves them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having yielded only a single point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of claiming a playoff place.

Major Incidents

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a point when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Group Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their hopes of qualifying by securing their first win with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, climbing above their rivals into second place behind the group leaders in the standings. Daniel Lukacs provided Hungary the advantage in the first half and a teammate secured the points in late stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their qualification from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken shot in first-half stoppage time.

Latvia struggles in Group K persisted as they were held to a 2-2 draw at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the away side 12 minutes from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Spain’s Group

Spain continued their impressive Group E campaign with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The win extended the European champions’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having scored eleven strikes in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their superiority against a Georgia team that passed the majority of the game defending deep. The home side dominated the match with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or create a clear chance, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

Pino broke the deadlock in the first half from a well-executed set-piece routine, and his compatriot wrapped up the victory in the second period with a stunning 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 thrashing over the Bulgarian side to stay close to Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• Italy improved their prospects of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable victory 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 our next opponents. We know our responsibilities.”

Italy missed out for the previous two global tournaments, on two occasions missing out in the playoffs, and the feared backdoor route now looks their most likely opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in Group I. The Norwegians are top on eighteen points from six games. The Italians have twelve points with a match less played on their competitors 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 second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a win would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake Norway on points, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a qualifying place probably awaits for the Italian squad.