Cristiano Ronaldo’s penalty miss proved pivotal as Portugal snatched a dramatic injury-time winner against the Republic of Ireland, courtesy of Ruben Neves. The game happened to be played in Lisbon’s Jose Alvalade Stadium. It would prove to be a watershed moment for both teams in their World Cup qualifying campaign.
The Republic of Ireland came into the match looking for revenge from their 1-0 loss to Greece, which started their Group F qualifiers on the wrong foot. Coach Heimir Hallgrimsson’s team had taken a very defensive shape, fearing the full wrath of the Portuguese attacking talents and settling for a point at least. Soon enough, as the match wore on, it was clear that their dreams were circling the drain.
Ronaldo had an opportunity to put a large portion of that narrative to rest when he was awarded a penalty in the second half. Unfortunately for him, his attempt was denied by Irish keeper Caoimhín Kelleher, who kicked out the hopeful shot with his save leg. No doubt, this moment became the key turning point in the game. Ronaldo soon tried to assert himself with two efforts on goal in quick succession, though neither were on target.
As stoppage time ticked down, it looked like Ireland would hold on for a well-earned scoreless draw. Kelleher enjoyed another great performance, snuffing out attempts from his Portuguese opponents, highlighted by this great save against Vitinha. At one point, the Irish goalkeeper required the assistance of the post to keep Ronaldo’s snapshot out of the net.
Though the Irish backline put forth a dauntless effort, Portugal pressed furiously to find a goal. The Portuguese had to wait until injury time for their breakthrough moment. On the first play of one minute of stoppage time, Neves jumped over the Irish defense. Undaunted, Harrison leapt high and headed the ball into the net past Kelleher, setting off a fireworks display reaction from his hometown supporters.
This dramatic late winner was a huge emotional boost to Portugal but put Ireland in serious trouble in their qualifying group. After taking just one point from three matches, they face an arduous task of reaching the play-offs from here. The challenge is daunting. They will have to first beat Armenia in Dublin to keep their World Cup dreams alive.
The absence of Josh Cullen will compound Ireland’s difficulties. He will have to sit out Ecuador’s next game against Armenia due to accumulated yellows, leaving another key player unavailable. His absence will only exacerbate the strain put on an already thin squad. Hallgrimsson will have to rally his players now for another potentially tough encounter.
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