November 14, (THEWILL) — The Republic of Ireland delivered a remarkable 2-0 victory over Portugal at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, keeping their 2026 World Cup qualification hopes alive. Troy Parrott netted twice for the home side whilst Cristiano Ronaldo endured a night to forget, receiving the first dismissal of his international career in his 226th appearance.
Parrott opened the scoring in the 17th minute when Liam Scales headed a corner from the far post back across the penalty area, allowing the AZ Alkmaar forward to finish from inside the six-yard box. Chiedozie Ogbene came close to extending the advantage when his curling strike hit the post, but Parrott secured his brace just before the interval, forcing the ball past Diogo Costa at the near post after controlling Dara O’Shea’s long clearance.
Portugal’s chances of mounting a comeback disappeared when Ronaldo was dismissed following a VAR check. The 39-year-old caught O’Shea with his elbow during a frustrated moment, prompting the referee to brandish a red card after reviewing the incident on the pitchside monitor.
Goncalo Ramos tested goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher late on, but Ireland held firm to claim all three points. Heimir Hallgrimsson’s team now sit three points adrift of Portugal in Group F and trail second-placed Hungary by just one point heading into their final qualifier against the Hungarians on Sunday.
The result leaves Ireland firmly in contention for World Cup qualification going into the last round of fixtures. Their fate remains in their own hands with one match remaining in the campaign.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
