Troy Parrott scored a stunning hat-trick as the Republic of Ireland beat Hungary in dramatic fashion to secure a World Cup play-off place.
Ireland headed to Hungary on Sunday knowing only a win would be enough to keep their World Cup dream alive, having trailed the Hungarians by a point before kick-off.
A nightmare start for Heimir Hallgrímsson’s side saw Hungary lead inside three minutes, as Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szboszlai set up Daniel Lukacs for an early opener.
Ireland levelled just 12 minutes later, as Parrott restored parity from the penalty spot. Chiedozie Ogbene was brought down in the box with VAR awarding the spot-kick, which Parrott powered home.
IRELAND HAVE PULLED OFF THE IMPOSSIBLE!
Troy Parrott’s hat-trick has led Ireland to a famous comeback win in Budapest! Playoffs here we come 🇮🇪 pic.twitter.com/OBOrgTvbf0
— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) November 16, 2025
Caoimhín Kelleher kept Ireland in it with a superb save from Roland Sallai, but a sublime strike from Barnabas Varga restored Hungary’s lead before the break. Ireland needed two goals to win it and hope appeared to be disappearing when Adam Idah saw a goal disallowed for offside.
However, Parrott’s second of the game gave The Boys in Green a lifeline, as he lifted a fine finish over Denes Dibusz with 10 minutes to go. Hope re-established, Ireland pushed forward for a winner and found it in the final seconds.
Parrott latched onto Liam Scales’ header and prodded past Dibusz to spark wild celebrations from the Irish contingent.
The win sees Ireland finish as runners-up to Portugal and seals a place in the World Cup play-offs.
For Parrott, who called his brace in the 2-0 win over Portugal the ‘best night of my life’ just days ago, he now has one to top it.
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