Adam Idah came off the bench to earn the Republic of Ireland a dramatic 2-2 draw against 10-man Hungary in their opening World Cup qualifier at the Aviva Stadium. The Swansea striker's header in the third minute of added time cancelled out a two-goal deficit, keeping Ireland on track in Group F behind Portugal.
The hosts fell behind inside two minutes when Matt Doherty's header fell to Callum Styles, who lifted the ball into the box for Barnabas Varga to finish emphatically. Hungary doubled their lead in the 15th minute when Roland Sallai glanced Dominik Szoboszlai's corner past Caoimhin Kelleher, leaving Ireland facing an early disaster.
Roma striker Evan Ferguson pulled one back early in the second half, stabbing home after a scramble from Ryan Manning's free-kick. Hungary's hopes were dealt a blow when Sallai was sent off for a crude challenge on Dara O'Shea, but they defended resolutely until Idah's late intervention.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban was among a sell-out crowd of 50,137 as Ireland fought back to secure a point. The result leaves Heimir Hallgrimsson's men level on points with Hungary ahead of Tuesday's trip to Armenia, where Portugal earlier won 5-0.
