15 hours ago
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Caoimhín Kelleher demonstrated to Liverpool precisely what it has been missing in Ireland's 1-0 loss to Portugal on Saturday evening. The Brentford shot-stopper, who departed the Premier League champions in the summer, thwarted Cristiano Ronaldo from the penalty spot in the second half of their World Cup qualifier.
With about fifteen minutes remaining, Ivan Kruzliak awarded a penalty after Francisco Trincao's shot struck Dara O'Shea's arm. The Al Nassr forward stepped up and, instead of aiming for a corner, attempted to outwit Kelleher.
Ronaldo fired the ball straight down the middle and, as the ex-Reds goalkeeper dived to his right, he managed to deflect the shot with his trailing leg. Kelleher prevented the five-time Ballon d'Or recipient from opening the scoring, providing his nation with renewed optimism of snatching a victory.
The Brentford keeper has now successfully defended four of the last seven penalties he's faced for both club and country, with the most recent saves coming against Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes and Kylian Mbappe. Since leaving Anfield for the G-Tech Community Stadium, Kelleher hasn't looked back; meanwhile, Liverpool have seemed somewhat adrift without him.
Giorgi Mamardashvili made his maiden Premier League start just prior to the international break, and Arne Slot's team appeared unsteady at the back during their 2-1 defeat to Chelsea. Ironically, the Blues never managed to overcome Liverpool when the Irishman was in goal.
Whilst the Merseyside club – who have also consistently faced fitness concerns with their number one Alisson Becker – have been left to regret allowing him to depart, the choice proved straightforward for Kelleher. Following his summer switch to the Bees, he informed club media that leaving Liverpool "wasn't very difficult".
However, despite Kelleher's valiant efforts at the Estadio Jose Alvalade on Saturday evening, Ruben Neves struck a dramatic stoppage-time winner. The Al-Hilal midfielder, who departed Wolves during summer 2023, celebrated his first appearance on Portuguese soil wearing the number 21 jersey in tribute to Diogo Jota with a crucial strike.
Neves rolled down his sock to reveal his commemorative tattoo, before pointing towards the heavens. Following the match, the Ireland manager reflected on what he described as a 'heartbreaking' night.
Heimir Hallgrimsson commented: "It's painful, really painful. A heartbreaking result. Sometimes we coaches try to look at performance when we lose games.
"I think what we planned to do, our game plan, worked. Our team effort, our teamwork, was excellent. There was a lot of energy put into this match. What we planned to do, I think that worked."
The Ireland manager continued: "And that's even worse that we didn't get anything from the match. Just being so close and ending up with nothing going back to Ireland is painful.
"That's my reaction to the game. Maybe you want to ask about tactical things and stuff, but this is how I feel. It's painful."
Ireland currently languish at the bottom of Group F, having secured just a single point from three matches. When asked if a World Cup spot was still within reach, Hallgrimsson confidently stated: "Definitely. With three points at home, we're back in the mix."
Regarding the penalty decision, the Icelandic manager expressed: "I wouldn't have given it. We cannot argue that it went to the hand, but the hand was close to the chest.
"Probably most referees wouldn't have given it, but once you give it, the VAR needs to say that you gave a wrong decision. I think he gave them too much respect.
"But I don't want to find excuses. I'm not used to talking about the referee, so I'm not going to do that now."
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