Gary Connaughton reporting from the Aviva Stadium
How often do Ireland come away from a game against one of the world's top sides and be unhappy with a point? That is probably the case tonight, with Kenny's side probably regretful that they did not manage to win against Portugal.
It was a brilliant team showing, with a number of top performances across the pitch.
Here's how we rated the players on the night.
Ireland Player Ratings
Gavin Bazunu - 7
Made an excellent save in the opening stages to deny Andre Silva, the only question asked of him in the opening half.
He was incredibly cool on the ball, often to the point of stressing the home crowd. However, there was never any danger of a mistake. Made a solid save late on to ensure the draw.
Seamus Coleman - 8
Made a brilliant tackle early on to halt Cristiano Ronaldo, keeping the opposition talisman fairly quiet in the opening half.
Coleman definitely did not look out of place as part of the back three, holding his own in the air as well as on the ground. A real captain's performance.
Shane Duffy - 8
Was cool in possession and looked to play it our from the back at every opportunity, also making a miraculous block on a Ronaldo shot early doors. When he turned the superstar with a deft flick a few minutes later, you knew he was in for a big night.
He was not asked quite an many questions in the second half, but it was yet another strong showing from the renaissance man.
John Egan - 7
Defended sternly alongside Duffy when Portugal applied pressure, although he didn't quite have the impact of Coleman and Duffy.
A very solid performance nonetheless.
Matt Doherty - 7
Looked lively right from the off, attempting to get in behind the Portugal defence. That included with his passing, showing a nice range to help move Ireland up the pitch.
He thought he had won it for Ireland at the end, only for a very questionable refereeing decision to cost him a famous winner.
Enda Stevens - 7
His contributions were limited to defensive ones in the first half, but Stevens dealt with the Portuguese threat brilliantly down that left flank.
He got forward a bit more after the interval, including having a golden opportunity to open the scoring 15 minutes from full time. Unfortunately, it would fall to his weaker right foot and go over the bar.
Josh Cullen - 7
Cullen certainly wasn't shy in offering an option to play the ball out from the back, with his work out of possession equally impressive.
There is no doubt that Ireland have found themselves their man in this position moving forward.
Jeff Hendrick - 8
Was not afraid to break forward when given the opportunity, although he was asked to do his fair share of defending in the opening 45 minutes.
Whereas Hendrick has been accused of hiding while in an Ireland shirt in the past, that was not the case tonight. He was brave in possession and always offered himself to his teammates.
Another excellent performance.
Chiedozie Ogbene - 9
Struggled to get into the game in the first 25 minutes or so, but he burst into life as Ireland launched a counterattack came close to opening the scoring through Robinson. From this point on, he was a real nuisance for the visitors.
Ogbene is a nightmare to defend, with his pace causing Portugal all sorts of issues. He was very unfortunate not to get in behind on more than one occasion and probably would have were it not for some cynical tackling.
This lad is a star.
Jamie McGrath - 7
McGrath did not quite have the impact in attack that you would have hoped for, although he certainly played his part for Ireland.
He ran himself into the ground, being replaced by Adam Idah on the hour mark.
Callum Robinson - 8
Was always a willing runner in behind, even if his teammates couldn't quite pick him out in the first half. He never gave the Portuguese defence a moment of rest.
He couldn't muster the scoring opportunities that he had in recent games but his all around play was outstanding yet again.
Substitutions
Adam Idah - 7
Idah offered a real focal point for Ireland after coming on, showing some impressive link-up play.
He continually played impressive passes out wide to his partners up front, but the favour was rarely returned with a cross into the box.
James McClean, Conor Hourihane, & Will Keane - N/A
Not on long enough to rate.
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