Cristiano Ronaldo, the all-time leading scorer in international football with 141 goals, continued his usual form for club and country. He had a chance to extend his tally in the World Cup qualifiers on Saturday but missed a penalty—the headline miss of the night. Other stars like Torres, Retegi, and Haaland also missed spot-kicks in their respective matches, yet all their teams secured wins.
Portugal vs Ireland Faced in a qualifier, with Ronaldo, Bruno, and Pedro dominating play. Despite 70% possession and 30 shots (6 on target), Portugal had to wait until the 91st minute of stoppage time for Ruben Neves to score the winning goal, securing a 1-0 victory. Ronaldo had missed a penalty in the 75th minute but had scored three goals in the previous two qualifiers. Portugal remains top of Group F with nine points from three wins.
Cristiano Ronaldo Missed Penalty
Spain also dominated their match against Georgia, holding 83% possession and registering 24 shots with 7 on target. Jeremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal scored Spain’s two goals. Ferran Torres missed a penalty in the 29th minute, but Spain still won 2-0, leading Group E with 9 points. Turkey is second with 6 points.
Italy’s 3-1 win over Estonia was a crucial boost in their qualifying campaign, as finishing outside the top two would hurt their World Cup hopes. Moise Kean opened the scoring in the 4th minute, and Matteo Retegi doubled the lead in the 38th but missed a penalty. Francesco Pio Esposito sealed the victory with a goal in the 74th minute. Estonia pulled one back shortly after. Italy sits second in Group I with 12 points from five matches, behind Norway’s 18 points.