Just before 4pm Irish time yesterday, it looked as though as though the country’s hopes of a place at the 2026 World Cup were about to end. The heroic display against Portugal two and a half days previously seemed to have been in vein. They hadn’t delivered the same level of performance in the second of two vital games and although Troy Parrott had dinked a fine equaliser past Hungary goalkeeper Dénes Dibusz 16 minutes previously, the search for a winner seemed doomed for failure. The referee had added on five minutes of injury time and the clock was now into the sixth. But then.
A final long ball by Irish ‘keeper Caoimhín Kelleher to the far post was met by the head of big Wicklow man Liam Scales. A perfect knock down into the path of the nimble Parrott. A glorious prod into the back of the net. Cue pandemonium, delirium, ecstasy: hyperbole or exaggeration is impossible in such remarkable, energising, thrilling circumstances. This was elite sport stripped back to its’ most raw, human, vulernable form – devastation turned into euphoria, despair turned into hope, valiant failure turned into celebrations of a rare kind.
Ireland headed into this November international break looking dead and buried. They had played 4 games in group F of the UEFA qualifiers for next summer’s tournament and their record read 1 win, 1 draw and 2 losses. Only in one game – the away fixture against Portugal – had they delivered a somewhat satisfactory performance and even then that ended in a deflating defeat. Coach Heimir Halgrimsson was being goaded for his part-time job as a dentist back in his homeland and appeared to be coming to the end of his time in charge.
But then came the miracle. First came Landsdowne Road on Thursday night, where the dentist designed a devastating game plan to leave Roberto Martinez, Cristiano Ronaldo and the mega-talented Portugal looking distinctly average. It was an electrifying occasion that woke Irish men’s football up from its’ near-decade long slumber. Midfielders hassled and harried and passed accurately. Ireland’s forwards combined with intent and inventiveness. Grown men hugged strangers, cried tears of joy and told Ronaldo to ‘eff off as he walked off the pitch after throwing a tantrum. It was not a normal night at the Aviva. It was special.
That was surely to be the pinnacle in terms of heightened emotions that the Ireland team would elicit from their loyal following at least for this year, one would have thought. But less than 72 hours later they did something even more remarkable. The dramatic and euphoric nature of the victory means that it’s already an iconic moment. The country was seconds away from devastation before the boot of Parrott brought delirium. The scenes in Budapest as his teammates chased after him whilst the RTE commentators unleashed joyous shrieks into their microphones will never be forgotten.
This was a team effort but this was also down to one man’s finest hour. Parrott’s career has been fascinating. He left Ireland for England at just 15 and quickly came to be seen as one of the most prodigious talents at any elite club in the billion-pound monster of an industry that is English youth football. He thrived in that environment and a debut for Tottenham Hotspur’s first team under Jose Mourinho as well as an Ireland senior debut both came when he was just 17. A sense of expectation was created, that he would be the country’s new footballing Lord and Savior. That was six years ago, B.C. (Before Covid). Things didn’t go to plan. Injury hampered his progress and a series of loans to second and third tier clubs in England (Preston North End, Milton Keynes Dons, Millwall) didn’t work.
A move to the Netherlands brought the second coming of Parrott. He excelled at Excelsior of Rotterdam on loan from Spurs in the 2023-2024 season before sealing permanent move from the latter to AZ Alkmaar in the summer of 2024. Since then his club form has become increasingly impressive. Goal after goal in the Eredivisie and European competitions as well. But until this international break, he hadn’t truly delivered on his potential for Ireland.
Well, has he delivered now? Not only that but he’s written his name into the history books of Irish football forever. When the Reeling in the Years episode for 2025 is made, the Parrott goal in the 96th minute against Hungary will feature prominently. The kid from Dublin’s north-inner city put a nation on his back and carried it to to the World Cup play-off round. In truth, Ireland badly needed a savior, it needed Parrott. It needed him in the practical sense that Evan Ferguson was injured, but also in the sense that the Ireland team has badly needed a hero for a long time now. These post Euro 2016 years have been characterised by a lack of a true leading man. Robbie Keane is long, long gone and Ireland has longed for a magic man to pull tricks out of the hat when we one is needed. The promising thing is that Evan Ferguson had also begun to deliver on his goalscoring potential in the international arena before his recent injury, so the team could have two real stars when previously it had none.
For now however, the focus should be on Parrott. It’s obvious that the Irish players showed up to this international break with determination and a sense of belief. Halgrimsson, his staff and all of the other players deserve credit for this. Caoimhín Kelleher was there when needed to provide his trademark assured goalkeeping. Seamus Coleman rolled back the years with his unique Killybegs blend of passion, aggression and leadership. Scales defied the doubters with his defensive contributions as well as his decisive touch for the golden goal. Finn Azaz finally delivered the magic in the second half at Puskas Arena that many had been hoping he would for a few years. The rest of the players deserve praise for their contributions over the two games.
But ultimately, Ireland’s efforts would have fallen well short if they didn’t have a virtuoso centre-forward who could put the ball in the net five times in the space of two and a half days. It was put to the man himself in an interview yesterday that he won’t need to buy himself a pint in Ireland ever again. He really shouldn’t, for he has given given new life to the older generations of Irish supporters and given a generation of young supporters something truly special that they had only heard about from those older generations.
The reaction has been heartwarming, amusing and energising all at the one time. Dublin Airport temporarily renamed itself Troy Parrott International Airport. Viral videos show friends, family and strangers embracing and singing together in pubs around the world. Parrott’s family and friends are doing interviews talking of their immense pride. Parrott himself gave an incredible interview to RTE in the immediate aftermath of the game, showing a level of emotion rarely seen in elite athletes. It was the kind of moment where a top sportsman transcends sport and becomes someone that the everyman can relate to. Where the veil of media training is removed and we see how much it means on a deeply personal level. On Parrott’s face and in his words you could see it all – the years of sacrifice, the support of family and friends, as well as the weight of being a passionate Irishman with a rare talent, a talent which allows him to deliver for his country in a way that very, very few can. The prospect of World Cup qualification now seems very real, but for now Parrott and the rest of the country deserve to savour this moment.