Aviva rocked at Ireland's revival

IRELAND'S World Cup hopes have been on life support since falling 2-0 down at home to Hungary in September.

- BY OISIN DOHERTY

Last night, Troy Parrott's brace sent 51,000 volts of electricity through the heart of Irish soccer and showed that maybe, just maybe, the future isn’t so bleak after all.

All week long, the Ireland camp talked up the importance of the Aviva Stadium crowd. Nathan Collins called for Lansdowne Road to return to the cauldron that it once was.

And the fans answered the call. This was no sleepy Aviva, this was a white hot atmosphere that reverberated throughout the country.

Cristiano Ronaldo's charm offensive midweek proved ineffective. The 40-year-old Was subjected to jeers throughout his 61 minutes on the field.

Ronaldo had never scored in Ireland and he seemed desperate to right that wrong, firing on sight almost every time he got the ball in the early stages, failing to trouble Caoimhin Kelleher in goal.

His frustration began to build from virtually the first whistle. Nathan Collins stuck to him like a clingy ex and by the time Dara O'Shea gave a him a little nudge just before the hour mark, Ronaldo's head was well and truly gone.