🔗 Share this article

The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for Portugal with a dramatic winner in their World Cup match against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder headed home during added time to secure a 1-0 victory, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace at the death to overcome a stubborn Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought draw, but in the end suffered defeat, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a battling performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat leaves them staring down the barrel, with their first three qualifying group matches having produced only a solitary point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of claiming a qualifying spot.

Major Moments

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have earned Ireland a point when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of added time when he headed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Additional Group Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary enhanced their chances of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a 2-0 victory over the Armenian side, moving above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided his team the advantage in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the points in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 defeat at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the only goal for his team with a well-taken shot in first-half stoppage time.

Latvia struggles in Group K continued as they were forced to a 2-2 draw at home by Andorra. An Andorran player found the net for the away side late on from time to claim them their first point of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Spain’s Group

Spain maintained their dominant Group E run with a comfortable victory over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The result continued the European champions’ flawless run in qualifying, having scored eleven strikes in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to injuries, the Spanish squad demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that passed most of the match sitting back. Spain controlled the encounter with over eighty percent of the ball, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a well-executed set-piece routine, and his compatriot secured the victory in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Additional Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 victory over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in Group E. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was one of the scorers.
• Italy improved their prospects of at least making the knockout stage with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

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

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions missing out in the playoffs, and the feared backdoor route now looks their primary opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 hammering over Israel in Group I. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six games. Italy have twelve points with a game in hand on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of Israel. The Estonian squad stay fourth on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the tournament, with the second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

Italy host their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still theoretically overtake the group leaders on points, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a playoff spot likely beckons for the Italian squad.