Dhaka, Nov. 15 -- Ireland stunned Portugal 2-0 on Thursday to keep their narrow path to next year's World Cup (WC) open and make the Nations League winners wait to book an automatic spot on a night where their Captain Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off.

Ireland, who have not qualified for a major tournament in a decade and last reached a World Cup in 2002, needed at least a draw to keep their qualification hopes alive and a first half Troy Parrott double capped their best performance in years. "I think it's probably the best night that I've ever had in my whole life," Player of the Match Parrott said in a pitchside interview.

"It's such a relief and an overwhelming feeling to see the hard work paying off. We all knew how important this game...