Cairo, Egypt – The Irish national team achieved a thrilling victory over Portugal with two goals to nil, in the match that brought them together on Thursday evening, in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
Ireland met Portugal at the Aviva Stadium, in the fifth round of European qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.
Ireland took the lead in the 17th minute with a header from striker Troy Parrott, following a header from his teammate after a corner kick that the Portuguese defense failed to clear.
Meanwhile, Parrott returned in the 45th minute to score his second goal and his country’s second goal, after a perfect ground shot that deceived goalkeeper Diego Costa and nestled in his net.
In the 61st minute, Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off for elbowing Ireland’s defender, with the referee showing him the red card after consulting the video technology.
كريستيانو رونالدو يغادر بالبطاقة الحمراء! 🟥
متاعب المنتخب البرتغالي تتواصل في مواجهة جمهورية آيرلندا #الطريق_إلى_كأس_العالم2026 | #تصفيات_كأس_العالم#FIFAWorldCup2026 | #EuropeanQualifiers pic.twitter.com/khbGhzhF3x
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) November 13, 2025Portugal finished the match with ten players, failing to come back, and the game ended with a 2-0 victory for Ireland.
Portugal’s tally remained frozen at 10 points, keeping them at the top of the group, but their qualification for the World Cup was postponed to the next round.
Meanwhile, Ireland’s national team raised its tally to 7 points in third place, reviving its chances of qualifying for the World Cup.
There is only one round left in the qualifiers, where Portugal will meet Armenia, and a win or a draw will be enough for them to qualify directly for the World Cup.
Meanwhile, the Irish national team will clash with their Hungarian rivals, as both teams hope to secure a place in the World Cup, or at least advance to the European play-off stage.
The winner of each of the 12 groups qualifies directly for the World Cup finals, while the runners-up, along with four teams from the UEFA Nations League that did not finish first or second in their groups, will compete in the European play-offs to decide the remaining four places.
