IRELAND are at the midway point of World Cup group qualifying and sit just a single point off the play-off spot after a mixed bag of results this week.
Saturday evening saw the Boys in Green take on the number one seed in Group F, Portugal, with hopes restricted to what could have been when the Irish team departed the Algarve before returning home to face Armenia in Dublin, for the rematch of last month's shock defeat.
Last month the late equaliser at home to Hungary, before falling to an embarrassing defeat away in Yerevan, left the Irish with virtually no hope of attending next summer's tournament in the States.
Portugal 1
Ireland 0
Resilience. That was the praise which Ireland were showered with after they came within just four minutes of escaping with what would have been an unlikely point towards their qualifying tally.
The first half saw Portugal restricted to access within the Irish box and the return of captain Seamus Coleman to the starting eleven proved to be huge as they organised well enough to fight off waves of Portuguese attack and it looked to be a success early on.
Caoimhain Kelleher was called to action on only two occasions with Heimir Halgrimmson's side hopeful they could pull off a masterclass in defensive stability and counter-attacking football.
Halgrimmson praised his sides performance, and particularly appreciated the energy he saw in his side.
“It was a good team performance, a lot of energy into this match, defending mostly. And we knew that we were gonna need to defend. We did it quite well, I think, for most of the time, we obviously, when we got tired, they got a little bit more time on the ball, and these players have the quality to find the perfect passes, as you saw in the goal. We gave them too much time to run into space and find the killer pass.
“I would say we should be proud of the performance and not happy, but we should be proud of the performances, a lot of good things to take away from this match.”
Despite a stubborn display in the backline, the lack of any creativity in the forward line proved that Ireland were praying that they would not succumb to the Portuguese pressure but on the 75th minute the home side were awarded a penalty after Dara O'Shea was judged to have hand-balled in the area.
Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up, but met his match as Caoimhin Kelleher denied the European all-time top scorer from adding another to that tally.
Kelleher saved Ronaldo's 75th minute penalty 
As the clock struck the 90th minute Irish hearts were broken when Francisco Trincao's cross was met by the head of Ruben Neves as he placed his header into the net and paid homage to the late Diogo Jota as Portugal clinched all three points.
Ireland and Everton defender, Jake O'Brien, aired his disappointment after conceding the late goal in Lisbon.
“It’s very disappointing, I think the lads dug in for nearly the whole game. I think with how much we dug in, we deserved a point, that’s going to really hurt us. Playing against teams like this you have to stay focused for the whole time. I think for just a small moment, we switched off, and they got their moment.”
Onto Tuesday evening, Ireland knew it was a must-win. The tension in the air in Dublin could be cut with a knife as the Irish fans geared up to cheer on the Boys in Green once again.
Ireland 1
Armenia 0
Evan Ferguson's goal streak for Ireland restarted at the Aviva as the Irish edged out Armenia in Dublin in the reverse of last month's embarrassing defeat which saw Armenia run out 2-1 victors, putting a huge dent in the hopes of Ireland's chances of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
The first half of this fixture was as dull as expected, but the big chance fell to Eduard Spertsyan who struck an effort which flashed wide of the net. Neither side showed much creative spark until a moment of madness from Armenia captain Barseghyan saw him brandished with a red card following an altercation with Finn Azaz.
The Armenia captain thrust his head into Azaz and left his side down a man as momentum swung in favour of Ireland.
The Irish attacks ramped up, which gave the Dublin crowd hope of a strong finish and that is what they got when Nathan Collins saw his header tipped onto the upright before Dara O'Shea saw his headed effort cleared away in a last ditch effort.
On the 70th minute of time, Evan Ferguson netted for Ireland as he met Will Smallbone's cross with the head and planted an effort beyond Armenia goalkeeper Henri Avagyan and put Ireland a goal to the good.
Adam Idah looked to have doubled Ireland's lead but his effort was ruled out for an offside in the build-up.
Halgrimmson's side were hopeful to move level on points with Hungary heading into the final round of fixtures next month, but a late Dominik Szoboszlai header snatched a point in Lisbon.
The State of Play:
As it stands, Ireland sit third, just a point behind Hungary in second with Portugal all but confirming their spot in the World Cup needing just a single point to head Stateside.
November's international break will see Ireland host Portugal in Dublin, before travelling to Budapest in the final game of Group F qualifying when they know a result will be necessary.
Assuming Hungary beat Armenia in Yerevan, Ireland will need to clinch at least four points in their final two group games, with victory in Budapest being the priority. Halgrimmson's side will need to improve on the attacking front if they are to overcome their Eastern European opponents next month.
World Cup Qualifying Group F
1 - Portugal - 10pts – +4
2 - Hungary - 5pts – +1
3 - Ireland - 4pts – -1
4 - Armenia - 3pts – - 7
