Overview

• Armenia won 2-1 in Yerevan through an Eduard Spertsyan penalty and a Grant-Leon Ranos finish, with Evan Ferguson pulling one back for Ireland.
• A late strike by Artur Serobyan was ruled out by VAR for a marginal offside, denying the hosts a third and offering Ireland brief hope.
• Ireland sit bottom of Group F with one point from two matches, facing four games left including two against Portugal.
• Heimir Hallgrimsson accepted blame, said Ireland "probably need a miracle" to qualify, and referenced travel, recovery and fragile confidence.
• Analysts cited recurring flaws — conceding first in nine of 10 competitive games, lack of creativity and no dedicated sports psychologist — while Roy Keane criticised the squad’s attitude.