🔗 Share this article Stoppage-Time Strike from Rúben Neves Shocks Ireland Following Kelleher Denies Ronaldo Penalty The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for the Portuguese side with a dramatic winner in their World Cup qualifying match against Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a spot-kick from the veteran forward. Game Overview Neves nodded in during added time to snatch a narrow triumph, four years after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to defeat a stubborn Ireland team. Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought draw, but in the end left empty-handed, despite regaining a good deal of honor with a gritty performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia. Nevertheless, the loss puts them in a difficult position, with their first three Group F games having yielded only a single point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of claiming a qualifying spot. Major Moments Kelleher seemed to have secured Ireland a point when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s effort had struck an Irish defender’s arm. Neves saved Portugal in the opening moments of added time when he headed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher. Other Qualifying Results Group F The Hungarian team boosted their chances of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal victory over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave his team the lead in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber secured the victory in late added time. Group K Serbia suffered a 1-0 loss at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning England can now secure their passage from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for his team with a neat volley in late stoppage time. Latvia struggles in their group continued as they were forced to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera scored for the away side 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s winless run to several matches. Spain’s Group Spain maintained their impressive qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The win continued the European champions’ perfect record in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three games without letting in a goal. Despite the unavailability of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and Rodri due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game sitting back. Spain dominated the match with over eighty percent possession, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or create a clear chance, with only goalkeeper their keeper preventing a heavy defeat. The scorer broke the deadlock in the first half from a well-executed set-piece move, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the win in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after Mamardashvili had denied Ferran Torres’s penalty. Other Scores Turkey bounced back with a 6-1 victory over the Bulgarian side to stay close to the group leaders in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was one of the scorers. The Italian squad boosted their hopes of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito. Gennaro Gattuso commented: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or Israel. 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 playoffs, and the feared playoff path now looks their most likely chance after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive hammering over the Israeli side in Group I. Norway are top on 18 points from six matches. Italy have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of Israel. The Estonian squad remain fourth on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the tournament, with the second-placed sides going into the qualifying stage. The Italian national team face their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake Norway on points, the leaders’ far superior goal ratio means a playoff spot probably beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.