Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off for elbowing Town skipper Dara O’Shea as a Republic of Ireland side also featuring Jack Taylor and Chieo Ogbene beat Portugal 2-0 at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin to keep their World Cup qualification hopes alive, ex-Blues loanee Troy Parrott netting both goals in the first half.
O’Shea, playing on the left of a back three and winning his 40th full cap, blocked an early Ronaldo free-kick as the visitors, who effectively needed a point to secure qualification, began on the front foot.
However, Ireland, who had already shown they were a threat on the counter-attack, went ahead in the 18th minute when one-time Town loanee Troy Parrott nodded home after a Taylor corner from the left had been headed back into the six-yard box from the far post.
Ogbene, who is on loan at Sheffield United for the season and was winning his 29th cap, came close to making it 2-0 in the 38th minute, taking the ball wide to the left, then back inside before hitting a shot across the keeper and off the post.
In the final scheduled minute of the half, O’Shea played a ball forward down the left for Parrott, who cut in and hit a low strike just inside the near post to make it 2-0 at half-time.
On the hour, the Portuguese were reduced to 10 men when a frustrated Ronaldo elbowed O’Shea as a cross came in from the left. Swedish referee Glenn Nyberg initially showed a yellow card but, after VAR invited him to take a second look, showed a red.
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Taylor, who played a diligent, combative central midfield role while winning his ninth full cap, was replaced in the 68th minute.
Ogbene, whose forward running had caused the visitors problems throughout, was rested on 86 as Heimir Hallgrimsson’s side saw out the final minutes in relative comfort.
Ireland will now travel to Hungary, who won 1-0 in Armenia this evening, on Sunday for their final group game knowing a victory will secure what at one time had appeared a wholly unlikely second position in the group and place in the World Cup qualification play-offs.
Meanwhile, academy youngster Oliver Wilkinson, who joined the club from Barnsley last month, won his first England U17s cap as the Young Lions beat the US 5-2 in Dubai.
Central defender Wilkinson, 16, started and played the first 56 minutes before being replaced.
The England U17s next face the Ivory Coast on Saturday and then Australia on Tuesday.
Blues U21s forward Rio Oudnie-Morgan was left out of the Northern Ireland U21s squad for their European Championship qualifier against Latvia, which they won 1-0 in Belfast.
Elsewhere, Town striker Ali Al-Hamadi, who is on loan at Luton for the season, scored a 10th-minute goal as Iraq drew 1-1 with the UAE in Abu Dhabi in the first leg of their fifth stage of Asian World Cup qualification play-off this afternoon.
Al-Hamadi, who was winning his 16th cap with the goal his fourth at international level, was subbed just before half-time with a knock.
The teams meet again in Basra on Tuesday with the winner going through to an intercontinental play-off for a place in the finals.