🔗 Share this article

The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for the Portuguese side with a dramatic winner in their World Cup clash against Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

Neves headed home during added time to secure a slender triumph, four years after the star striker had bagged a brace at the death to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to leave Lisbon with a well-earned draw, but in the end left empty-handed, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a battling display that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat leaves them facing elimination, with their initial trio of Group F matches having yielded only a solitary point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming a playoff spot.

Key Moments

• Kelleher seemed to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s shot had hit Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of stoppage time when he headed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Group Results

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their chances of qualifying by securing their initial victory with a 2-0 victory over the Armenian side, climbing above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs provided Hungary the lead in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the points in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

Serbia slipped to a narrow loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning England can now secure their passage from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the only goal for Albania with a well-taken shot in late stoppage time.

Latvia difficulties in Group K persisted as they were forced to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera scored for the away side 12 minutes from time to claim them their first point of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Spain’s Group

Spain maintained their dominant Group E run with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The win extended the European champions’ perfect run in qualifying, having scored 11 goals in three games without conceding.

Despite the absence of players such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their dominance against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game sitting back. Spain dominated the encounter with over eighty percent possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper their keeper preventing a rout.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece routine, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the 64th minute with a stunning set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Other Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was one of the scorers.
• The Italian squad boosted their prospects of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable win away to Estonia, 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 our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the previous two global tournaments, twice falling short in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now appears their primary opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points clear of Israel. The Estonian squad stay fourth on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host Israel on Tuesday, where a win would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically overtake the group leaders on points, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a qualifying place probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.