Here’s the World Cup roundup from today’s Uefa action. More to follow on Sunday.
Francesco Pio Esposito on his first ever Italy goal: “It all happened so fast, but it has to be a starting point. I don’t like to rest on my laurels.”
Fellow scorer Mateo Retegui: ““I hope to continue like this, it was a good game, especially the first half. If the result had been a little different at half-time, then so would’ve been the second half, but it was decent anyway. I’m so proud to be here, I hope to continue helping the team and winning games.”
“I am sorry for Moise [Kean], hopefully it is nothing serious, I talked to him in the locker room. I combined well with Pio too, we have so many talented players who can work together, including Scamacca, Lucca, Raspadori, so we’ve all got to keep going and let the coach choose,” noted Retegui.
More Heimir: “When you waste so much time defending, maybe the decision making in attack isn’t the best. There was no passengers in this game, instead of picking out individuals, everyone did their job so well tonight.
Taking off Seamus Coleman for John Egan proved key to the goal. “He said he could have finished it (the game); it was just signals we saw, they were attacking so much on the left side. For us, there was always going to be changes, even to give him a rest, we have another very important game in three days against Armenia.”
Heimir Halmgrimsson spoke to RTE: “It was a good team performance, a lot of energy into this match, defending mostly. And we knew that we were gonna we were gonna need to defend. We did it quite well, I think, for most of the time, we obviously, when we got tired, they got a little bit more time on the ball, and these players have the quality to find the perfect passes, as you saw, in the goal. We gave them too much time to run into space and find the killer pass.
“I would say we should be proud of the performance and not happy, but we should be proud of the performances, a lot of good things to take away from this much.”
Tony Mason gets back in touch to remind that after that Albania win “a win for England in Riga now and it is qualification.”
Ruben Neves, the scorer in Lisbon, wore the No 21 shirt that his friend, Diogo Jota, once wore.
Jake O’Brien spoke to RTE: “It’s very disappointing, I think the lads dug in for nearly the whole game. I think with how much we dug in, we deserved a point, that’s going to really hurt us. Playing against teams like this you have to stay focused for the whole time, I think for just a small moment, we switched off, and they got their moment.”
Niall Mullen gets in touch: “Ah my beloved Irish moral victory, how I’ve missed you.”
Tony Mason gets in touch: “Only game with remaining jeopardy? Don’t you know Serbia are playing Albania?”
I should have said: that I had access to other than the scoreline; I was watching the other three all at once. That’s a huge win for Albania.
Saturday Uefa qualifiers scores
Group K
Latvia 2-2 Andorra
Serbia 0-1 Albania
Group E
Bulgaria 1-6 Turkey
Spain 2-0 Georgia
Group F
Hungary 2-0 Armenia
Portugal 1-0 Rep of Ireland
Group I
Estonia 1-3 Italy
Norway 5-0 Israel FT
Full-time: Portugal 1-0 Ireland
So close for Ireland, and such pain as Ruben Neves scored in time added on. The Irish are not out of it just yet, and were much improved but it’s all on their remaining games. The Slovakian referee is confronted by Heimir Hallgrímsson. Caoimhin Kelleher was one of the heroes, saving from Ronaldo but that ended up so cruel.
Full-time: Estonia 1-3 Italy
A nice, clean win for Italy aside from the mistake from Donnarumma. Moises Kean scored but then had to be taken off with injury. Mateo Retegui made up for a penalty miss, and a first Azzurri goal from Francesco Pio Esposito.
Full-time: Spain 2-0 Georgia
Three wins from three for Spain, Pino and Oyarzabal scoring the goals in a match they dominated. It might have been more had it not been for Giorgi Mamardashvili, the Liverpool keeper.
Goal! Bulgaria 0-1 Turkey (Kahveci, 90+3)
Portugal 1-0 Ireland
That was cruel for Ireland, Heimir Hallgrímsson is furious in his dugout, watching the goal back. Rafael Leao almost kills it off from Ronaldo’s layoff as Ireland leave space as they try and attack.
Goal! Portugal 1-0 Ireland (Neves, 90+1)
The game ticks into added time, and just as it seems that Ireland are holding on, Trincao loops a cross to Ruben Neves, who breaks his international drought by heading home. Kelleher is caught in no-man’s land.
Portugal 0-0 Ireland
Ronaldo is still on, and it takes an Egan toe-end to stop him in his tracks. Next, Trincao makes a mess of a shot.
Portugal 0-0 Ireland
This is the game with remaining jeopardy from the evening. Josh Cullen is booked and he will not be able to face Armenia on Tuesday.
Portugal 0-0 Ireland
Ireland struggling to hold the ball, sub Will Smallbone losing possession. Liam Manning has just been booked. The Slovakian referee will be the focus of post-match attention. Off goes the veteran Seamus Coleman for the returning John Egan.
Stephen G gets in touch: “How was that a penalty?! Hit his chest at a pelt and we didn’t see it reviewed on tv enough. Happy Kelleher has the Zlatan King - Fu kick in reserve but VAR needs to be binned or have it’s own VAR system to review awful decisions.”
Spain 2-0 Georgia
In Elche, the big news is that Georgia have just had their first shot. Utter dominance from Spain.
Goal! Estonia 1-3 Italy (Rauno Sappinen, 73)
A horror show from Donnarumma, he tries to catch a cross, and drops it at the feet of Rauno Sappinen, the Estonian striker.
Goal! Estonia 0-3 Italy (Francesco Esposito, 74)
It’s a lovely finish from Inter’s 20-year-old, set up by a cross from Leonardo Spinazzola, and slashed home. That’s his first goal for his country.
Updated
Portugal 0-0 Ireland
Ireland’s hero flaps at a corner aimed as Dias and can only watch it drift by. Off goes Evan Ferguson, who saw very little of the ball. Ogbene goes off.
Penalty saved by Ireland's Kelleher
Ronaldo takes it, and takes a deep breath. Kelleher spreads himself wide, and with his boot smashes away a kick that was aimed down the centre! Justice done!
Penalty to Portugal!
Who did it hit? Nathan Collins is complaining. It came off Darragh O’Shea’s chest. What will the Slovakian ref be guided towards?
Portugal 0-0 Ireland
Close. Semedo lays up Ronaldo but the great man misses.
Charles Antaki gets in touch: “There was a lot of walking football played in that first half of the Spain-Georgia game, all of it played by Spain, and with a correspondingly treacle-like response from the opposition. You wait for the viper-like strike - it did happen once - but otherwise you might as well put on some trance music. More from Pedri please."
“Beautifully struck by Oyarzabal, for sure, but the award of a free kick for a handball was grotesque. The Georgian player in the wall put his arm across his face for protection and it hit him somewhere around the elbow. If he hadn’t had it there he’d have got a broken nose at least. What could be a more natural position than one to protect yourself against that?”
Goal! Bulgaria 1-5 Turkey (Zeki Celik 65)
Goal! Spain 2-0 Georgia (Oyarzabal, 64)
The La Real man lashes a free-kick with his left foot. Mamardashvili had no chance. Oyarzabal is immediately replaced after his latest goal; he’s a player in form. On comes Borja Iglesias. Pino, the other scorer is replaced by Alex Baena.
Updated
Portugal 0-0 Ireland
More changes – Vitinha off, and Semedo on, the latter almost making an impact. On comes Mikey “Jinky” Johnston for Ireland f0r Festy Ebosele.
Portugal 0-0 Ireland
Off goes Neto, and on comes Rafael Leao. Neto doesn’t look too happy. Dalot off, and Wolves legend Trincao to replace him. That’s an attacking change from Portuguese Bob.
Big news from Scotland. Who will take the chalice from Russell Martin?
Portugal 0-0 Ireland
This game is overheating, plenty of heavy challenges, and the two coaches off their benches. Ruben Neves, who has never scored for Portugal, fires wide of Kelleher.
Goal! Bulgaria 1-4 Turkey (Yildiz, 56)
Estonia 0-2 Italy
Italy not sitting on their lead, and are looking for more. Their goal difference is vastly inferior to Norway’s.
Spain 1-0 Georgia
Porro hits the post, and then Oyarzabal is denied by a clearance off the line.
Goal! Bulgaria 1-3 Turkey (Kenan Yildiz 51)
Portugal 0-0 Ireland
The referee in Lisbon, not too popular after some first-half decisions, gets in the way of the ball, and stops what looks like a promising Irish attack.
Goal! Bulgaria 1-2 Turkey (Viktor Popov Og 49)
Updated
Spain 1-0 Georgia
Spain resume their passing control in Elche, and look for a second goal. Mamardashvili makes a fine save as Porro plays through Oyarzabal, and then Ferran Torres hits the side-netting.
Back away in Europe
Portugal 0-0 Ireland
Portugal have made a change, Inacio goes off, and Renato Veiga, once of Chelsea comes into defence.
Uefa qualifiers half-time scores
Group K
Latvia 2-2 Andorra FT
Serbia 0-1 Albania
Group E
Bulgaria 1-1 Turkey
Spain 1-0 Georgia
Group F
Hungary 2-0 Armenia FT
Portugal 0-0 Rep of Ireland
Group I
Estonia 0-2 Italy
Norway 5-0 Israel FT
Half-time: Estonia 0-2 Italy
Moises Kean and Mateo Retegui’s goals have Italy on course, and for second place.
Goal! Serbia 0-1 Albania (Rey Manaj 45)
Half-time: Bulgaria 1-1 Turkey
Half-time: Spain 1-0 Georgia
Yeremy Pino’s goal separates the teams though it might have been more, save for Mamardashvili’s save of Ferran Torres’ penalty.
Half-time: Portugal 0-0 Ireland
Nathan Collins’ heroic block when Bruno Fernandes seemed set to score closes out a decent half for the Irish. Not much going forward, but they are sticking to their defensive task well.
Spain 1-0 Georgia
Oyarzabal goes close with an effort. Georgia have defended well under heavy pressure.
Estonia 0-2 Italy
Reteegui had earlier missed a 30th minute penalty, hitting the post with his kick. His run-up was reminiscent of Simone Zaza at Euro 2016, and just as effective.
Goal! Estonia 0-2 Italy (Retegui, 38)
Retegui scores, a clinical strike, Dimarco’s call comes to Orsolini, who sets up Retegui….though there’s a VAR call. Gattuso looks annoyed. It is given.
Portugal 0-0 Ireland
Ronaldo fancied and was just starting a bicycle kick when the ball was headed away. Ireland holding firm, Portugal yet to put a shot on target. Nathan Collins climbs to head away and then Vitinha loops a header over the bar.
Spain 1-0 Georgia
Porro’s cross almost finds Merino, who is usually so good in the air, but the chance is missed.
Portugal 0-0 Ireland
Ronaldo has a clear run on Darragh O’Shea but fails to connect. Ogbene through from Coleman’s ball but Dalot steps across and his touch is a thing of wonder in taking the sting from the attack.
Mamardashvili saves a penalty
Mamardashvili redeems himself, as Ferran takes, and he saves well. Good news for Liverpool fans.
Penalty for Spain
Mamardashvili clatters Ferran Torres, that was clumsy. The decision checked by VAR but that’s plumb.
Updated
Goal! Spain 1-0 Georgia (Pino, 24)
A slick move, the ball from Pedri was superb, and Le Normand laid it up for Yeremy Pino to poke home, another Crystal Palace player shining.
Portugal 0-0 Ireland
In the 21st minute there’s a minute’s applause for Diogo Jota, whose last game was in the Nations League final this summer.
Estonia 0-1 Italy
Retegui, who plays his football in Saudi Arabia, fires wide. Italy look better under Gattuso, though are playing for second place behind rampant Norway.
Portugal 0-0 Ireland
What a miss. Ronaldo shoots, Kelleher deflects the ball out – or was it the post? - and Bernardo Silva misses the rebound. Portugal stepping it up. Oof, a nasty tackle from Festy Ebosele, and Roberto Martinez wants a red, rather than yellow.
Updated
Portugal 0-0 Ireland
Ireland are giving a decent account of themselves, holding off Portugal so far. There’s lots of twinkling in midfield but there’s not much movement up front. Wonder why.
Spain 0-0 Georgia
Zubimendi has a shot on goal for the Spanish but it’s way wide, with Georgia back in numbers.
Updated
Goal! Bulgaria 1-1 Turkey (Kirilov, 13)
Goal! Bulgaria 0-1 Turkey (Guler, 11)
Spain 0-0 Georgia
It’s 83% possession to Spain so far, though no goals. Pedro Porro has just been booked.
Updated
Portugal 0-0 Ireland
In Lisbon, Ireland have actually been enjoying quite a lot of possession but Portugal have just enjoyed a spell on the ball. Bruno Fernandes turns inside and shoots wide from a Nuno Mendes pass.
Goal! Estonia 0-1 Italy (Kean, 4)
What a goal, a fine finish from the Fiorentina player, set up by Federico Dimarco.
In England’s group, Serbia are taking on Albania, and fighting for second place.
Away we go in the Uefa qualifiers
There’s a big game between Bulgaria and Turkey, too in Group E. They’re in a group with Spain and Georgia.
Tom Hopkins gets in touch: “Just following on from Russell Yong’s observation, I’d note that since not running up a massive score against Andorra, England have lost to Senegal (good side, sweeping aside the African champions in Qatar never got the credit it deserved) and had two good wins against teams that did not have great nights.
”On the basis of those two wins, the narrative seems to be that we’ve found the way and anyone not currently playing is looking at missing the World Cup entirely? I think maybe we could be a little more circumspect.”
Across Europe, the teams are out. Amhrán na bhFiann is being played in Lisbon in Sporting Club’s stadium. It’s a chilly night in Tallinn, too.
Russell Yong gets in touch: “That Andorra/Latvia result seems worth bearing mention. The Andorran status as a minnow team is, of course, deserved, having only won one other point in a competitive fixture in the past two years, but disguises the fact that they’ve actually been improving over time. For a team of their stature, they rarely get thrashed, losing by four or more goals just twice in the last 20 fixtures going back over two years (against Spain and Romania), and not once this year.
“ They’ve shown they can pretty consistently beat or take points off the other minnows (Gibraltar, San Marino and Liechtenstein), which is not nothing for a team of their level. At club level, two teams came closer than ever to making the group stages of a Uefa competition this season and did not disgrace themselves at any point, going down in high-scoring aggregates. It arguably speaks to how the Conference League has enfranchised teams of lowlier leagues and countries like these, and puts into perspective the moaning of fans who felt their teams were somehow entitled to run up a massive score against them and harangued the Andorrans for being defensive when they couldn’t.”
Estonia v Italy teams
Estonia: Hein, Peetson, Paskotsi, Kuusk, Saliste, Shein, Palumets, Kait, Soomets, Saarma, Alex Matthias Tamm. Subs: Igonen, Sinyavskiy, Vetkal, Schjonning-Larsen, Mets, Miller, Joonas Tamm, Sappinen, Kristal, Mustmaa, Yakovlev, Perk.
Italy: Donnarumma, Di Lorenzo, Bastoni, Calafiori, Orsolini, Barella, Tonali, Dimarco, Raspadori, Kean, Retegui. Subs: Carnesecchi, Vicario, Gabbia, Spinazzola, Locatelli, Udogie, Esposito, Cristante, Frattesi, Cambiaghi, Cambiaso, Mancini.
Spain v Georgia teams – Kvaratskhelia starts
Spain: Simon, Porro, Le Normand, Cubarsi, Cucurella, Merino, Zubimendi, Gonzalez, Oyarzabal, Ferran Torres, Pino. Subs: Raya, Remiro, de Frutos, Vivian, Garcia, Iglesias, Rodriguez, Llorente, Barrios, Baena, Grimaldo, Aghehowa.
Georgia: Mamardashvili, Kakabadze, Goglichidze, Kashia, Dvali, Gocholeishvili, Kochorashvili, Mekvabishvili, Kiteishvili, Mikautadze, Kvaratskhelia. Subs: Kereselidze, Gugeshashvili, Zivzivadze, Guliashvili, Davitashvili, Lobjanidze, Kvernadze,
Azarovi, Mamuchashvili, Tsitaishvili, Gagnidze, Gelashvili.
Snap report per Reuters:
Norway ran riot with a 5-0 win at home to Israel in a World Cup qualifier on Saturday, as Erling Haaland struck a hat-trick to celebrate his 50th international goal and help move his side to the brink of a place at next year’s tournament.
Norway have now won all six of their Group I matches, boasting a goal difference of plus 26 ahead of their remaining two fixtures against Estonia and second-placed Italy, who sit nine points behind with two games in hand.
Despite missing a twice-taken penalty early on, Haaland found his rhythm, scoring once in the first half and twice after the break to reach his 50-goal milestone and finishing the night with an incredible 51 in 46 internationals.
Israel added to their own misery with two own goals in the first half from Anan Khalaili and Idan Nachmias.
And via Associated Press:
Pro-Palestinian protesters lit flares and waved flags as they marched to the stadium ahead of the World Cup qualifier.
Public broadcaster NRK said around 1,000 protesters arrived from Oslo‘s city center to Ullevaal Stadion, where they were reportedly planning to stay until the start of the game at 6 p.m. local time.
A banner about the war in Gaza was carried by the protesters in what appeared to be a peaceful march.
Only 3,000 spectators were being allowed into the game amid tight security checks.
Hungary climb to second in the table, above Armenia, with Ireland bottom of the group and set to play Portugal this evening.
Full-time: Hungary 2-0 Armenia
Goal! Hungary 2-0 Armenia (Gruber, 90+4)
Final score: Norway 5-0 Israel
That puts Norway on 18 points, and if Italy fail to beat Estonia or Israel in their next two matches then Norway will be in their first World Cup since 1998. Erling Haaland, by the way, has scored 21 goals this season, and in his 10th consecutive match. There is simply nobody better in the game right now.
Some League One news, yes, Luton are in League One, with a roundup of action from the two lower divisions EFL today.
Goal! Norway 5-0 Israel (Haaland, 72 hat-trick)
Portugal v Ireland starting teams
Portugal: Diogo Costa; Dalot, Rúben Dias, Inácio, Nuno Mendes; Bernardo Silva, Vitinha, Bruno Fernandes; Rubén Neves, Cristiano Ronaldo, Pedro Neto.
Ireland: Kelleher; O’Brien, O’Shea, Collins; Ogbene, Cullen, Knight, Manning; Ebosele, Molumby; Ferguson.
Goal! Norway 4-0 Israel (Haaland, 63)
Goal! Hungary 1-0 Armenia: (Daniel Lukacs, 56)
From last night.
Your team booking its place at the World Cup is one thing. Paying for tickets is another….
When the first tickets for the 2026 World Cup went on sale last week, millions of fans joined online queues only to discover what Gianni Infantino’s assurance that “the world will be welcome” really means. The cheapest face-value seat for next summer’s final, somewhere in the gods of New Jersey’s 82,500-seat MetLife Stadium where the players are specks and the football’s a rumor, comes at a cost of $2,030 (oxygen tank not included). Most upper-deck seats range from $2,790 to $4,210, according to customers who finally glimpsed the prices that had been closely guarded. The much-touted $60 tickets for group-stage games, propped up by Fifa as evidence of affordability, exist only as comically tiny green smudges on the edge of digital seating maps, little more than mirages of inclusivity.
Huge game for Scotland on Sunday, as they welcome Belarus to Glasgow.
Uefa half-time scores:
Norway 3-0 Israel – Haaland got the second goal.
Hungary 0-0 Armenia
England news: Quansah ruled out
Jarell Quansah will miss England’s World Cup qualifier against Latvia due to injury and the defender – who did not play a part in England’s 3-0 friendly win over Wales at Wembley – will return to his club Bayer Leverkusen. England did not reveal the nature of his injury but the 22-year-old has returned to the Bundesliga club as a precaution.
The former Liverpool defender has been a mainstay in Leverkusen’s defence this season but England said no further squad additions were planned for the qualifier in Riga on Tuesday. Thomas Tuchel’s side top their World Cup qualifying group with a perfect record from five games while Latvia are fourth in the standings.
England could qualify for next year’s World Cup with two matches to spare if they beat Latvia on Tuesday and results elsewhere in Group K go their way.
Preamble
It’s do or die for Ireland, though their chances of reaching North America may already be dead. A familiar face in Cristiano Ronaldo awaits them, and Portugal are top of Group F. At Sporting Club’s stadium, Ireland face a huge task. Our other main focus will be European champion Spain, who have won every game so far in Group E, against Georgia, who have never qualified for a finals and are aiming for the playoffs. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has been a doubt and Liverpool fans will get a chance to see Giorgi Mamardashvili.
European Qualifying matches – (7.45pm UK time unless stated)
Group K
Latvia 2-2 Andorra FT
Serbia v. Albania
Group E
Bulgaria v. Turkey
Spain v. Georgia
Group F
Hungary v. Armenia (5.00pm)
Portugal v. Rep of Ireland
Group I
Estonia v. Italy
Norway v. Israel (5.00pm)
