🔗 Share this article

The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for the Portuguese side with a dramatic decisive strike in their World Cup encounter against the Republic of Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Summary

The Wolves midfielder found the net during added time to secure a narrow win, several seasons after Ronaldo had bagged a brace at the death to overcome a resilient Ireland team.

The Irish squad looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a battling performance that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

However, the loss puts them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having yielded only a single point. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of securing a playoff spot.

Major Moments

• Kelleher seemed to have secured Ireland a point when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s shot had struck an Irish defender’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Other Group Results

Group F

Hungary enhanced their hopes of advancing by securing their initial victory with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, climbing above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs provided Hungary the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the points in second-half added time.

Group K

Serbia slipped to a 1-0 loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now secure their qualification from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the only goal for his team with a neat shot in late added time.

The Latvian side struggles in their group persisted as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera found the net for the away side 12 minutes from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team maintained their dominant qualifying group campaign with a comfortable victory over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The win continued the European champions’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having notched eleven strikes in three matches without conceding.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad demonstrated their dominance against a Georgian team that spent most of the match sitting back. The home side controlled the encounter 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 preventing a rout.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken dead-ball move, 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 Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 victory over the Bulgarian side to stay close to the group leaders in Group E. Real Madrid’s a young talent was one of the scorers.
• Italy improved their prospects of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable win away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach said: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or our next opponents. We are aware of what we have to do.”

The Azzurri missed out for the last two World Cups, on two occasions missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded playoff path now appears their primary chance after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive hammering over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are leading on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have twelve points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points clear of their next opponents. Estonia remain in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the tournament, with the runners-up entering the playoffs.

The Italian national team host Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically overtake Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.