Troy Parrott scored a hat-trick as the Republic of Ireland rallied from behind to defeat Hungary and advance to the World Cup play-offs in a dramatic manner.
After a shock 2-0 victory over Portugal on Thursday, Heimir Hallgrimsson’s side needed a win in Budapest to earn a spot in the playoffs.
Daniel Lukacs’ fourth-minute header gave Hungary the perfect start, and while Troy Parrott’s penalty drew Ireland level, Barnabas Varga’s magnificent strike restored Hungary’s lead before halftime.
In a tense second half, Parrott’s exquisite goal 10 minutes from time gave the Republic of Ireland new hope.
And, after Hungary goalkeeper Denes Dibusz denied substitute Johnny Kenny, Parrott, the two-goal hero against Portugal, tucked home the winner in the 96th minute, sparking jubilant Irish celebrations at a stunned Puskas Arena.
Hungary, captained by Liverpool’s Dominik Szoboszlai, is heartbroken as their wait for their first World Cup final participation since 1986 continues.
Portugal defeated Armenia 9-1 in Sunday’s other Group F match to secure first place and a position in next year’s championships in North America.
After earning only one point from their first three games—a loss to Armenia being the low point—the Irish injected new life into their campaign with home triumphs against Armenia and Portugal.
But, 90 minutes from an unexpected playoff, they set themselves a mountain to climb amid a sluggish start in the Hungarian capital.
They fell behind early, just like they did against Hungary at home in September, when Lukacs’ header withstood a VAR review for offside.
The Irish’s comeback to that early blow was remarkable, with Parrott comfortably tapping home a penalty after Attila Szalai fouled Chiedozie Ogbene in the box.
Varga’s fizzing left-footed strike put Hungary back on track for the playoffs, but the Republic of Ireland didn’t read the script.
After using enormous amounts of energy to defeat Portugal, the Irish players battled exhaustion and refused to give up, with Adam Idah’s goal being thrown out for offside.
But Parrott beat the trap to lift a deft shot over Dibusz, then popped up again with seconds left to poke home Liam Scales’ knock-on, sending the Irish team and travelling fans into a frenzy after becoming the first Republic of Ireland player to score a hat-trick in a competitive game since Robbie Keane in 2014.
Parrott considers it the best week of his career. With Evan Ferguson sidelined, the AZ Alkmaar player stunned Portugal with two goals and improved on that performance to keep the Republic of Ireland’s dream alive.
Speaking after the game, Troy Parrott said, “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.”
