Ireland hero Troy Parrott was reduced to tears after scoring a dramatic late winner to secure his country a World Cup play-off place on Sunday.
Following their victory against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal, Ireland went into the clash with Hungary needing a win to keep their hopes of qualifying for a first World Cup since 2002 alive.
However Heimir Hallgrimsson’s men got off to the worst possible start in Budapest when Daniel Lukacs gave the hosts a third-minute lead.
Parrott – fresh off the back of a brace against Portugal – later equalised with a nerveless penalty before Barnaba Vegas restored Dominic Szoboszlai and Co’s lead before the break.
The second half was something of a cagey affair before the former Spurs striker once again got his side back in the game with a dink on 80 minutes. And it was none other than Parrott – at the end of a ‘dream’ week – that won it for Ireland in the sixth minute of added time with an effort poked home from close range.
The goal sparked pandemonium in the Irish camp as the squad swarmed their jubilant hero and, speaking post-match, the man of the moment couldn’t hold back his tears.
Troy Parrott was the hero for Ireland once again today, scoring a hat-trick to secure his country a World Cup play-off place
The former Spurs striker scored the winner in the sixth minute of added time
‘This is why we love football, things like this can happen,’ the AZ Alkmaar frontman told RTE Sports. ‘I am really emotional right now. What a night.
‘I said against Portugal that this is what dreams are made of, but I think tonight, I will never have a better night in my whole life.
‘It is a fairytale. You can’t even dream about something like that. I have no words to describe the emotions right now.’
Ireland, whose last World Cup appearance culminated in Roy Keane quitting the tournament in Japan some 23 years ago, headed into this international break needing to win both games to keep their dreams of heading to North America next summer intact.
They’d been written off in some quarters after winning just one in their previous six games, with pressure beginning to grow on manager Heimir Hallgrimsson.
Yet the Boys in Green have incredibly turned their fortunes around and, speaking after the tie in Hungary today, the delight on their boss’s face was plain to see.
Hallgrimsson said: ‘These moments you remember for the rest of your life.
‘I thought we were rushing too much at the end of the game but then we calmed down towards the end and started getting the crosses in. They got scared in the end so they dropped off. They were probably better than us on the day, especially in the first half but the boys kept believing.
The goal sparked pandemonium in the Irish camp as they look to qualify for their first World Cup in more than two decades
And Parrott, now playing for AZ Alkmaar struggled to hold back his tears afterwards
The delight on coach Heimir Hallgrimsson’s face was also plain to see
‘We were passive – it looked like we were scared at the beginning. In the end it was good to concede so early because we had more time to recover.
‘At half-time we said we had nothing to lose. It was about decision-making, being a little bit braver and going for it.
‘It’s growth, they are starting to believe more and more in each other. When you increase the level of belief, you automatically become better and that’s a big credit to the players. All decisions are made quicker and reactions to every action are quicker and quicker.
‘I said before the game I don’t care when we score the winner. It’s nice to score in the 90th minute.’
Ireland will be in the hat this Thursday when the World Cup play-offs are drawn. The games go ahead in late-March.
