Troy Parrott scored a stunning hat-trick, including a dramatic injury-time winner, to secure the Republic of Ireland a spot in the World Cup playoffs with a 4-3 victory over Hungary in Budapest. The former Tottenham trainee, now with AZ Alkmaar, had already been the hero in Thursday's win over Portugal, but Sunday's performance surpassed even that.
Hungary took an early lead through Daniel Lukacs's third-minute corner, but Parrott equalized from the penalty spot in the 15th minute. Barnabas Varga restored Hungary's lead with a brilliant left-foot volley in the 37th minute. Parrott struck again in the 80th minute with a deft finish, and after Johnny Kenny was denied by the goalkeeper, Parrott poked home the winner in the sixth minute of added time from Liam Scales's flicked header.
Ireland's victory was sealed despite news that Portugal had beaten Armenia 9-1 to win Group F, meaning Ireland must now navigate two single-leg playoff games in March to qualify for the World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The draw for the playoffs will be made on Thursday.
Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrímsson praised his team's resilience, saying, 'They wasted their own time and that's kind of funny. Now we need to use this moment and continue improving.' Parrott described the night as a 'fairytale,' adding, 'You can't even dream about something like that.'
