Ireland's World Cup quarter-final curse was prolonged in heartbreaking circumstances as the world's top-ranked nation were dumped out by New Zealand at the Stade de France.
Andy Farrell's men more than played their part in a captivating contest, but the All Blacks found a ruthless streak when it mattered and dug in defensively to prevail 28-24 and set up a semi-final with Argentina, while subjecting Ireland captain Johnny Sexton to a bitterly disappointing farewell.
Early nerves seemed to get the better of Ireland, who fell 13-0 down inside the opening 20 minutes as Leicester Fainga'anuku registered the first try owing to a slick link-up with Rieko Ioane, and not until the 23rd minute would Andy Farrell's men register through a Sexton penalty.
The captain's contribution invoked a fire within the Irish, who cut the deficit down to three thanks to Bundee Aki's fifth try of the tournament - equalling Keith Earls's 2011 record - and Sexton's conversion, as the former produced a couple of lovely dummies before going over.
Farrell's men were caught cold again as Ardie Savea dived over, but Aaron Smith was soon sent to the sin bin for a deliberate knock-on, offering Ireland one last chance from a line-out.
The set piece had hitherto been hit-and-miss for Ireland, but it worked to great effect in the 39th minute, as Jamison Gibson-Park forced his way over and Sexton did the rest to reduce the All Blacks' lead to just one point heading into half time.
New Zealand survived the opening stages of the second half with a numerical disadvantage, though, and they carved the Ireland defence open from a line-out in the 53rd minute, as Richie Mo'unga burst through the exposed space and picked out Will Jordan to run through on the right-hand side.
However, as Codie Taylor collapsed a maul and received a yellow for his troubles, a penalty try propelled Ireland right back into contention in the 64th minute, not long before Jordie Barrett's kick set up an even more tense finale.
It was backs-against-the-wall time for New Zealand with the clock ticking beyond 80 minutes, but Ireland went through phase after phase without success to miss out on a maiden World Cup semi-final, suffering an eighth defeat from eight quarter-final contests on the biggest stage.
For New Zealand, Ian Foster's men have six days to recuperate before a showdown with Argentina, who overcame Wales 29-17 in the day's first quarter-final.
Ben Knapton
