🔗 Share this article Stoppage-Time Goal from Rúben Neves Stuns Ireland After Kelleher Denies Cristiano Ronaldo Penalty The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for the Portuguese side with a injury-time winner in their World Cup qualifying clash against Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo. Match Overview The Wolves midfielder nodded in during injury time to claim a 1-0 victory, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to defeat a stubborn Ireland team. Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a well-earned draw, but in the end suffered defeat, despite restoring a good deal of honor with a gritty performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia. Nevertheless, the defeat puts them in a difficult position, with their first three qualifying group games having produced only a single draw. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a playoff spot. Major Moments The Liverpool keeper looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s effort had struck an Irish defender’s hand. The match-winner saved Portugal in the first minute of stoppage time when he headed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher. Additional Qualifying Outcomes Portugal’s Group Hungary enhanced their chances of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, climbing above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs provided Hungary the advantage in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber secured the victory in late added time. England’s Group The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow defeat at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their qualification from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the only goal for his team with a neat shot in late stoppage time. The Latvian side difficulties in Group K continued as they were held to a two-all tie at home by Andorra. An Andorran player scored for the away side late on from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches. Spain’s Group Spain maintained their impressive qualifying group run with a comfortable win over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The result continued the title holders’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three matches without conceding. In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their dominance against a Georgia team that spent most of the match defending deep. Spain controlled the match with over eighty percent of the ball, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a rout. The scorer opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a well-executed dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the second period with a spectacular free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved a Spanish player’s spot-kick. Additional Scores Turkey bounced back with a comprehensive thrashing over Bulgaria to stay close to Spain in Group E. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was among the scorers. Italy boosted their prospects of at least making the knockout stage with a 3-1 win away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, another attacker, and a third scorer. Gennaro Gattuso commented: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or Israel. We are aware of what we have to do.” The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their most likely chance after Norway’s 5-0 win over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six matches. Italy have twelve points with a game in hand on their competitors and are a trio of points ahead of their next opponents. The Estonian squad remain fourth on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the playoffs. The Italian national team host Israel on Tuesday, where a win would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch the group leaders on points, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a playoff spot likely beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.