He's given the penalty, after all that!

The suspense is killing me here...

The referee is actually checking whether or not Jeff Hendrick touched the ball before catching Bruno Fernandes.

The plot thickens...

There seems to have been a scuffle involving Ronaldo and an Irish player.

VAR are checking it.

The Irish are the architects of their own downfall.

Ronaldo gives the ball away to launch the first Republic attack of the evening.

It comes to nothing, though...

Serious pressure from Portugal already, but the Irish defence have been equal to everything thrown at them so far.

Ronaldo's just strutting about in the middle, waiting for a cross to attack...

Portugal have already settled into their passing rhythm.

Ominous for the visitors.

Right, off we go then.

There's just under 8,000 inside Estadio Algarve tonight.

They're certainly making plenty of noise. A few Irish flags in the crowd too...

The players are out on the pitch and the Portuguese lads are belting out their anthem.

They look well up for this.

While pushing high up the pitch against a team that includes Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Jota may not seem like the wisest approach, Republic boss Stephen Kenny insists his side will not be sitting back and inviting pressure tonight in Faro.

"We have to carry an attacking threat," said the Dubliner. "Portugal have too much quality to sit back for 90 minutes, it's not workable.

"We have to have belief in ourselves to carry an attacking threat, and that's certainly our ambition."

It's a bold strategy. Let's see if it pays off for them.

Image source, Getty Images

And now for some interesting pre-match tidbits with kick-off just a few minutes away, courtesy of the folk at Opta!

• The Republic of Ireland last visited Portugal for an away match in October 2000 in a World Cup qualifier, drawing 1-1 in Lisbon with Matt Holland cancelling out a Sergio Conceicao goal.
• Portugal have won 11 of their last 12 matches in World Cup qualifying (D1) since losing 2-0 to Switzerland back in September 2016.
• Since beating Gibraltar in June 2019 in a European Championship qualifier, the Republic of Ireland haven’t won any of their last 13 competitive matches (D7 L6), scoring only five times in this run.
• Portugal have lost only one of their last 38 home matches in World Cup qualifying (W30 D7), a 3-2 defeat against Denmark in Lisbon in September 2008.
• The Republic of Ireland have started their World Cup qualifying campaign with two defeats, against Serbia and Luxembourg – no nation has ever qualified for the finals after losing their opening two group matches in qualifying.
• Cristiano Ronaldo has been directly involved in 26 goals in his last 16 World Cup qualifying games for Portugal (23 goals, 3 assists), although he didn’t score in his one previous appearance against the Republic of Ireland in June 2014.
• 19-year-old striker Troy Parrott has been involved in three goals in three starts for the Republic of Ireland (2 goals, 1 assist), netting a brace in their 4-1 win over Andorra in June.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

In case you missed it earlier this week, the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) announced equal pay for the men's and women's senior national teams.

"It's not about money, it's about being considered equal," said Republic forward Stephanie Roche.

"If you ask any of the girls, nobody wants to be paid to play for their country. This is about parity, for years one group has been paid and one not.

"I think that sent out the wrong message. We all work hard for our country when we play and this shows that the FAI care and they want to improve the standard of women's football."

Read the full story here.

Image source, Getty Images

Stephen Kenny spoke to the FAI's media team prior to kick-off.

Here's what he had to say...

On starting Jamie McGrath: "He's been a very creative player, scored 17 goals in the SPL last season.

"He's got two already this year. He gives us flexibility, tactically, in the game and I think we can use that to our benefit."

On Portugal: "They're a phenomenal team, there's no doubt. They've added Rafa Silva into the team, who's a fast winger, so it's interesting to see their line-up, it's very attacking.

"We're well-equipped to deal with it and we need to carry an attacking threat ourselves, but we can approach the game in a good frame of mind and really have a go here."

Captain Seamus Coleman says the Republic of Ireland must focus on beating Portugal rather than trying to ruin Cristiano Ronaldo's potentially record-breaking night.

Ronaldo will surpass Iran striker Ali Daei's long-standing men's international goals record (109) if the Manchester United forward scores tonight.

"Listen, it's not a case of ruining any parties or anything. We've got to focus on ourselves," said Everton right-back Coleman, who earns his 60th Republic cap this evening.

"Everyone in the room and everyone in the world knows how important and how amazing Cristiano Ronaldo has been over the last 15 years. It's incredible, really, the numbers that he's provided over that course of time.

"As a group, we've got to focus on what our plan is tomorrow and how we can stop them playing - they have a few players we have to keep an eye on - and what we can bring to the game.

"But listen, it's going to be tough. He's one of the best players who's ever played the game and we're looking forward to getting out there and playing against him.

"But ultimately, we will have our own plan and will try to take that to them as well."

Image source, Getty Images

It's a massive week for Republic of Ireland boss Stephen Kenny, who has had anything but a smooth ride since succeeding Mick McCarthy in April 2020.

Read all about Kenny's journey with the Irish team here.

Image source, Getty Images

There are 10 other World Cup qualifiers on tonight not involving British or Irish nations.

France v Bosnia, Norway v Netherlands and Russia v Croatia are the standout ones.

We'll bring you updates from those matches throughout the evening.

Who would you rather have had in your team?

Thumbs up for Figo, down for Keane.

Norway: Hansen, Pedersen, Strandberg, Hanche-Olsen, Meling, Thorsby, Normann, Odegaard, Elyounoussi, Hauge, Haaland.

Subs: Daehli, Ryerson, Berg, Botheim, Gabrielsen, Ajer, Nyland, Bratveit, King, Donnum, Aursnes, Bjorkan.

Netherlands: Bijlow, Timber, De Vrij, Van Dijk, Blind, Wijnaldum, De Jong, Klaassen, Berghuis, Depay, Gakpo.

Subs: Ake, Bergwijn, Malacia, De Roon, Gravenberch, Krul, Dumfries, Til, Koopmeiners, Malen, Weghorst, Drommel.