🔗 Share this article

Rúben Neves was the hero for the Portuguese side with a dramatic decisive strike in their World Cup match against the Republic of Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had denied a penalty from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

The Wolves midfielder headed home during added time to claim a narrow win, several seasons after Ronaldo had scored twice at the death to defeat a resilient Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought draw, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a gritty performance that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat puts them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of Group F matches having yielded only a solitary point. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a playoff spot.

Major Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s effort had struck Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of stoppage time when he headed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their chances of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, moving above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave his team the advantage in the first half and a teammate made sure of the victory in second-half added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 loss at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now secure their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for his team with a neat shot in late added time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K continued as they were forced to a 2-2 tie at home by Andorra. An Andorran player scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Group E

The Spanish national team continued their impressive Group E run with a comfortable victory over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The result extended the title holders’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having notched eleven strikes in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of the absence of players such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. The home side controlled the encounter with over eighty percent possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or create a clear chance, with only goalkeeper their keeper preventing a heavy defeat.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the win in the 64th minute with a spectacular free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Additional Results

• Turkey bounced back 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 boosted their prospects of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable win away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

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

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two World Cups, on two occasions falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now looks their primary opportunity after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 hammering over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six games. The Italians have twelve points with a match less played on their competitors and are a trio of points clear of their next opponents. Estonia remain fourth on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically overtake the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ far superior goal ratio means a qualifying place probably beckons for the Italian squad.