Irish striker Troy Parrott made history on Sunday evening when he completed his hat-trick in the dying seconds of Ireland’s final qualification group match against Hungary in Budapest. His third goal against Hungary was his fifth goal in four days after scoring a brace against Portugal on Thursday, November 13, to win 2-0 in the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
Irish fans had considered their World Cup qualification hopes all but dead and buried after a disastrous 2-1 loss against Armenia in Yerevan back in September. The match in Dublin against Portugal — which saw Cristiano Ronaldo awarded his first ever red card while playing for his country — revived hopes of a miraculous qualification with the promise of a decisive showdown in Budapest.
Ireland overturn Hungary in dramatic finish
According to Ireland’s national broadcaster, RTE, over one million Irish viewers tuned in to watch the final match in Budapest. Hopes for a win to finish second in the group were higher than ever. It wasn’t long before those hopes were dashed when Daniel Lukacs struck in the 3rd minute of the match.
The Irish responded quickly and were awarded a penalty when Chiedozie Ogbene was brought down inside the box. Ireland’s new star Parrott slotted the equaliser into the bottom right corner in the 15th minute.
Hungary fought to find the net again and sure enough they found it through an unstoppable strike by Barnabas Varga which landed in the top right corner in the 37th minute.
Hope for the Irish began to fade once again as time ticked on. But in the 80th minute, a lofted ball by Finn Azaz landed on the chest of Parrott with just the Hungarian goalkeeper to beat. A wonderful finish knocked the ball past the keeper and into the back of the net; Ireland had equalised. A draw would not be enough. As it stood, Hungary would still make the play-offs and the Irish would be sent home with nothing.
Chances came for the Irish but the Hungarians managed to thwart their efforts. One shot in particular by Celtic’s Johnny Kenny was just barely saved by Denes Dibusz in the 90th minute. The final minute of injury time was upon the Irish, the Hungarians had cleared the ball to the half-way line as the clock struck 95. Irish goalkeeper Caomihin Kelleher launched it back into the box for one final attempt at goal. The ball dropped to Liam Scales who flicked it on just in front of a charging Parrott who got his studs to redirect the ball past Hungary’s goalkeeper and into the back of the net.
The away end in Budapest erupted. Irish substitutes and coaching staff flooded the pitch chasing a shirtless Parrott. Ireland had done it in the final seconds. They had beaten Hungary and found themselves in second place in their group, achieving a spot in the World Cup qualifying play-offs.
Who will Ireland play in the World Cup play-offs?
In order to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, Ireland must win both a play-off semi-final and final. The draw to determine who Ireland will face in the play-offs will take place at 12pm GMT on Thursday November 20.
Ireland currently rank #62 in FIFA’s official world rankings, but this will be updated Wednesday November 19, and given that Ireland defeated both Portugal and Hungary, they should move up a few spots.
It’s likely that Ireland will be placed in either Pot 2 or Pot 3, depending on results in:
- Wales v North Macedonia
- Austria v Bosnia & Herzegovina
Both games take place at 7:45pm GMT, Tuesday November 18.
Ireland’s potential opponents in March
- Albania
- Czechia
- North Macedonia
- Italy
- Bosnia & Herzegovina
- Poland
- Turkey
- Iceland
- Scotland
- Kosovo
- Slovakia
Just one question remains after all is said and done: where will they put the Troy Parrott statue?
