Portugal national team
World Cup qualifier against Ireland at the Aviva Stadium
Portugal’s long unbeaten World Cup qualifying run ended with a 2-0 loss to Ireland, leaving them needing a final-round victory to secure automatic qualification. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) received the first red card of his international career on a night when little went right.
Troy Parrott (Ireland) struck twice against a disjointed defence, punishing poor set-piece organisation and a lack of fluency in possession. Roberto Martinez (Portugal) lamented missing Pedro Neto (Portugal), Nuno Mendes (Portugal) and Bruno Fernandes (Portugal), admitted his side started badly, and said everything that could go wrong did in a performance he labelled a day to forget.