Ireland reach World Cup finals

The Republic of Ireland have reached the World Cup finals after losing by the only goal of the match to Iran in Tehran, giving them a 2-1 aggregate victory in the two-leg playoff.

The Republic of Ireland have reached the World Cup finals after losing by the only goal of the match to Iran in Tehran, giving them a 2-1 aggregate victory in the two-leg playoff.

The Iranians were unable to break down a solid Irish defence for much of the game and wasted the few good chances they did create, with Shay Given again making some crucial saves.

However, their second-half pressure was eventually rewarded when Sirous Dinohammadi scored with a close-range header in the last minute.

The result was a just reward for the Irish team who had been forced to battle through a tough qualifying group containing both Portugal and Holland.