England Under-21s had to come through horrendous conditions to see off a stubborn Republic of Ireland side in Birmingham.

Making their first-ever appearance at the tournament, the Irish duly topped their group, and on Friday beat Canada on penalties to advance to the Round of 16. McDonnell was on target in a thrilling shootout, which the Boys in Green won 9-8, and described his emotions in a post-match interview with FIFA.

The last time Ronaldo visited Dublin was in 2021, and it resulted in a historic result for the Boys in Green during their 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign, with the star-studded Iberian outfit held to a 0-0 draw.

Republic of Ireland can finish top and secure automatic qualification with a win, but they would need Portugal to lose, with the two teams then being split by overall goal difference, then overall goals scored and then the head-to-head record, which favours the Boys in Green following Thursday's success.

Cristiano Ronaldo had a night to forget after getting sent off in Portugal’s 2-0 defeat to the Republic of Ireland

On the night Cristiano Ronaldo came to Dublin, it was the Republic of Ireland's number seven, Troy Parrott, who stole the showed and reignited World Cup dreams.

Republic of Ireland are through to the last-16 of the U17 FIFA World Cup after edging past Canada 9-8 in a marathon penalty shootout. The Boys in Green held their nerve throughout the shootout, with goalkeeper Alex Noonan proving to be the hero, denying Elijah Roche to seal a famous win for Ireland.

The Republic of Ireland's new president says "our actions today will shape the world our grandchildren will inherit".