Exclusive web-only post-match broadcast to follow.
Match Gallery - Latest photos from Croker.
Rep of Ireland 1 Dunne 1
Bulgaria 1 Kilbane og 74
Full-time Boos greet the final whistle as a disjointed and disappointing Ireland are held despite taking a first-minute lead. Having said that, Trap's boys remain seven points clear of Bulgaria in second spot, two points behind leaders and group favourites Italy. This display once again highlights the lack of quality, especially in key midfield areas, and the absolutely critical need to encourage Stephen Ireland's return and for Trap to end his feud with Andy Reid. Our place in South Africa could depend on it!
92 mins Just as Jim Beglin names Doyle his eircom Man of the Match, the Reading striker spurns a great chance as he heads Andrews' precision cross straight at Ivankov and Ireland's chance of victory passes.
90 mins Andy Keogh comes on for McGeady with four minutes of added time to be played. Could we see a repeat of his heroics against Serbia?
89 mins Given launches a free-kick deep into the Bulgaria box but they clear, as they do a few seconds later when the ball is returned by O'Shea and Dunne is penalised for a foul.
85 mins Keane, who has been hugely prominent in the last few minutes, breaks through again from the left, but with only Doyle waiting in the centre his cross goes straight into the arms of Ivankov.
84 mins O'Shea defends well in defence and finds McGeady who plays the ball out wide to Keane on the left. The Tottenham striker, always with his eye on goal, cuts back onto his right and strikes narrowly wide with a right-footed curler. Oh so close.
82 mins Rangelov leaves the field on a stretcher after a challenge on Dunne. McGeady shoots wildly high and wide at the other end as Ireland push for a winner, with Rangelov returning seconds later.
74 mins Italy go 2-0 up in the same minute through Pazzini. It the scores stay as they are, the Italians will assume a two-point lead at the top of Group 8.
74 mins GOAL! Sucker punch for Ireland, as Kilbane can only deflect Petrov's well hit volleyed cross from Kishiishev's left-wing centre past Given from a tight angle. To be fair, it's no more than the visitors deserve and now Ireland must find a second if we are to take all three points. 1-1
71 mins I don't know what happened there, it looked like Hunt and McGeady tried to play the Manchester United corner-kick routine, which Bulgaria are wise to and break clear at the other end. Thankfully, Kilbane gets back to clear.
67 mins Ireland go even closer again when Hunt's cross from the left is carelessly palmed out by Ivankov but McGeady's shot lacks the power or direction to beat the keeper and the visitors clear. It's more end-to-end now and Ireland do look more dangerous going forward. Having said that, Bulgaria still look dangerous at the other end. Either way I can't see it staying 1-0, so it looks like we might need a second.
66 mins Bulgaria's final substitution sees Dimitar Makriev come on for Georgiev.
65 mins Kilbane is lucky to win a free and not concede a penalty when he appears to hold Angelov back inside the box.
59 mins O'Shea's free from halfway into the box lands at the feet of Keane from Doyle's headed knock-on, but Ivankov is perfectly placed to palm the ball away. That's the closest Ireland have come since opening the scoring. A sign of better things to come maybe?
56 mins A sustained period of Bulgaria pressure sees Ireland eventually win the ball back, Hunt intercepting a cross-field pass before being crudely taken down by Manolev, who is shown the yellow card for his troubles.
55 mins Petrov and Kishishev have shots charged down and deflected respectively, the latter by Dimitrov, who was the sub that came on the start of the second half.
52 mins It is confirmed that 60,002 hardy souls have braved the Dublin night and are in attendance at Croke Park. Still well short of the 72,000 or so capacity, mind.
51 mins Andrews, to his credit, is showing some fine touches in the middle of the park when the chance arises, and he just fails to play Doyle through with a delicate dink.
Bulgaria introduced another substitute at the start of the half but I failed to get the name as I was fielding a call from a disgruntled member of the public, upset at the negativity coming from Dunphy, Giles and Whelan. To be fair, you can't blame the lads for calling a spade a spade, as Ireland were very poor in the opening 45 minutes. Hopefully they'll improve in the second half!
46 mins Second half starts with Ireland defending the Hill 16 end.
Half-time: Rep of Ireland 1-0 Bulgaria
After taking a first-minute lead throudh Richard Dunne's header, Ireland have played second fiddle to the Bulgarians, who have shown the greater invention and industry as they chase the game. The hosts have been fortunate to keep them at bay, only wayward shooting and the exceptional positioning of Given keeping them scoreless. Once more, there is little or no control in the crucial midfield area, where Andrews and Whelan are being over-ran by Petrov and Co. 'Very lucky to be ahead, Ireland have been very poor,' says Dunphy back in the RTÉ studio. 'I'm baffled by it,' says Giles. The game is crying out for a player of the quality and guile of Andy Reid or Stephen Ireland, and their absence tonight is being felt as Trap's boys have failed to maintain possession or create a clearcut chance.
45 + 2 mins The half ends with a Bulgarian corner going directly out of play as the Irish hold a slender 1-0 advantage at the break.
44 mins Ireland are finishing the half strongly and after a period of decent pressure Keane is almost left in a one-on-one with Ivankov but he is called up for a marginal, but probably correct, offside decision.
42 mins Left back Kevin Kilbane wins the ball cleanly on the halfway line and tries to play Doyle through on another of his clever runs. However, the pass is slightly over-hit and Ivankov comes off his line to gather.
35 mins Angelov combines with Rangelov on the right but the latter misses a gilt-edged chance from close range, shooting over from eight yards. Another let off for Trapattoni's men.
33 mins A clever move involving Keane and Aiden McGeady sees Ireland win a corner, which they fail to capitalise on.
32 mins Ireland have begun to play with a little more invention at the other end without creating anything of note in front of goal. O'Shea sends a speculative ball out to the left where Hunt somehow manages to beat his man in the air, the ball falls for Whelan, who pulls his volley right and wide. Better from Ireland.
28 mins Bulgaria prise the Irish defence open as right back Manolev cuts through and squares for Georgiev, but the striker's effort is straight at Given and the Irish keeper gathers comfortably.
26 mins The Irish crowd, perhaps buoyed by last week's events in Cheltenham, Cardiff and Dublin's O2, are in full voice as they prompt their heroes forward.
24 mins Kishishev replaces the injured Milanov who picked up another knock after his penalty claim incident.
21 mins The astute Mr Beglin suggests that Ireland are losing the midfield battle and, as such, the front pair of Robbie keane and Kevin Doyle are being starved of possession.
20 mins Glenn Whelan tries his luck from outside the box after a corner is cleared, but his shot doesn't cause Ivankov any problems between the posts.
Tony O'Donoghue reports from pitchside that some of the Irish players have ditched their Under Armour gear as temperatures seem to have improved from earlier in the day.
16 mins Left back Milanov is booked for simulation as he goes down in the box after a nothing challenge from Keith Andrews. Replays show the referee got this decision spot on as the Bulgarian was already on his way down before Andrews made minimal contact. However, it points out the need for vigilance and discipline at all times.
14 mins Given is spoken to by Croatian referee Ivan Bebek for delaying his kick, something the Manchester City will need to be careful about given he has already received a yellow card for the same offence and would miss the trip to Bari to face the Italians on Wednesday.
11 mins Italy have taken the lead in Podgorica, Andrea Pirlo netting from the spot.
10 mins With ten minutes gone, Bulgaria have enjoyed an alarming 71% of the possession since conceding a first-minute goal.
8 mins News just in, the Cyprus have beaten Georgia 2-1 in one of the other two Group 8 games taking place today. Montenegro host group favourites Italy, which kicked off at 7.45pm.
4 mins Stilian Petrov tests Shay Given at the other end with a drilled effort from 30 yards, while the subsequent corner is eventually cleared after a few anxious moments.
3 mins The RTÉ Sport commentary team of George Hamilton and Jim Beglin urge caution as they recall Georgia taking an early lead at this venue in our last outing before going down 2-1. We also took an early lead against the Cypriots before being put under intense pressure to hold out for the 1-0 win.
1 min GOAL! The game isn't 40 seconds old when Ireland go one up. Stephen Hunt's left-wing free-kick is flicked on by John O'Shea and Richard Dunne dives to head home unmarked at the back post. Dream start for the hosts. 1-0
7.40pm The Croke Park crowd stand for the Bulgarian national anthem and Amhrán na bhFiann. And remember, we will have exclusive post-match analysis from Bill, John, Eamon and Ronnie in a web-only broadcast right here on RTÉ.ie. More details here.
7.38pm President Mary McAleese, fresh from her duties in Cardiff last weekend, is presented to both sets of players as expectation rises at the famous Drumcondra venue.
7.36pm The match panel in the RTÉ studio are in good form, although John Giles and Ronnie Whelan predict a draw, while Eamon Dunphy thinks 'it will be long hard night, but Ireland to win 1-0'. Let's hope so.
7.15pm Giovanni Trapattoni's Republic of Ireland host Bulgaria at Croke Park this evening, knowing a win over the East Europeans will keep them on track for at least a play-off spot as the quest for qualification for the 2010 World Cup continues.
There has been much speculation throughout the week over the fitness of key players, and although Damien Duff was forced out on Thursday with a hamstring injury, Aiden McGeady and Shay Given have overcome their knocks.
By contrast, new Bulgaria manager Stanimir Stoilov fielded only three of the team which started their last qualifier in October - with Dimitar Berbatov, Martin Petrov and Valeri Bojinov all unfit.
Join me, Shane Murray, for updates throughout what promises to be an eventful evening on a bitterly cold night at GAA HQ.
Rep of Ireland: Given, McShane, O'Shea, Dunne, Kilbane, McGeady, Whelan, Andrews, Stephen Hunt, Keane, Doyle. Subs: Kiely, Delaney, Kelly, Noel Hunt, Gibson, Keogh, Folan.
Bulgaria: Ivankov, Stoyanov, Tomasic, Manolev, Milanov, Angelov, Petrov, Popov, Georgiev, Telkiyski, Rangelov. Subs: Georgi Petkov, Kishishev, Todorov, Dimitrov, Yankov, Makriev, Topuzakov.
Referee: Ivan Bebek (Croatia).
