World Cup Group F qualifier: Hungary 2 [Lukacs 3; Varga 37] Republic of Ireland 3 [Parrott 15 pen, 80, 90+6]
All changed, changed utterly, as Troy Parrott takes flight.
There was five minutes and 12 seconds of additional time played when Parrott poked a Liam Scales header, from a Caoimhín Kelleher hit and hope, into the Hungary net.
The 3,000 Irish fans in the upper deck of the Puskas Arena needed a second to realise what had just happened. Only a second, mind. The silence of the other 64,000 souls inside the stadium and wild celebrations of Irish players on the pitch allowed the realisation to set in.
Parrott’s hat-trick had just put the Republic of Ireland into Thursday’s World Cup playoff draw in Zurich.
RM Block
The dream of reaching North America 2026 is somehow still alive. Hungary are gone, out of contention as Ireland march forward under the calm guidance of their Icelandic dentist Heimir Hallgrímsson.
Parrott delivered for Ireland again, and again, with five goals in three days following his brace to beat Portugal 2-0 in Dublin last Thursday.
And to think, the Dubliner was expected to play second fiddle to Evan Ferguson until the Roma striker’s recent injury.
The script for this game was ripped to shreds by Parrott as Barnabás Varga’s superb volley eight minutes before half-time had Ireland chasing an unlikely two-goal turnaround.
Impossibly, they did it. Unbelievably, Parrott was the hero, forever more.
Hungary and their superstar Dominik Szoboszlai were gliding towards the World Cup next summer. For all that defensive steel Ireland produced against Portugal last Thursday, the set-piece fragility that allowed Hungary take a 2-0 in the opening qualifier in September was on show again.
Ireland wobbled from kick-off with Dara O’Shea compelled to foul Rolland Sallai which allowed Szoboszlai curve a free-kick into the box. Séamus Coleman sent it for the first of three Hungary corners.
For the third corner, Szoboszlai zipped a short ball to his Liverpool team-mate Milos Kerkez, who gave it right back to the Hungarian maestro with a better angle. Dániel Lukács nodded the cross beyond Kelleher having found himself unmarked at the front post.
Every Irish arm shot into the sky but the VAR – Juan Martínez Munuera – could not establish that Lukács was offside. Josh Cullen’s right toe appeared to play him on.
Ireland hardly stormed downfield although Chiedozie Ogbene continued his post-injury revival by causing havoc in the Hungary ranks.
In the 12th minute, Ogbene earned the penalty from O’Shea’s ball over the top. Kerkez stood over him, insisting that he get up after being bumped by the full back and kicked by Attila Szalai as he tried to regain his balance to shoot.
Another VAR check. Munuera has recent history with Irish football having awarded a soft penalty to Shamrock Rovers in their 1-1 draw with AEK Athens, which allowed Graham Burke to score from the spot.
Parrott shrugged off two recent penalty misses for his Dutch club AZ Alkmaar to finish to the bottom left corner. He sprinted into the nets, grabbed the ball and raced back over the halfway line, reminding everyone that Ireland had to win while Hungary only needed a draw.
The equaliser momentarily stalled the host’s dominance as they appeared to switch on whenever Ireland had possession anywhere on the pitch. Szoboszlai in particular was alive to a quick transition when Parrott, Ogbene or Finn Azaz coughed up the ball.
Varga is one of three Hungary starters coached by Robbie Keane at Ferencváros, along with goalkeeper Denes Dibusz and midfielder Alex Toth, but there was nothing any scouting report could do about his fifth goal of the campaign.
After chesting down a speculative ball from Kerez on the edge of the Irish box, the 31-year-old let it bounce before cracking a volley into the top corner to make it 2-1.
Ireland battled and scrapped but the quality of Szoboszlai looked set to hold sway. Not that Coleman noticed as he won a free-kick off the Hungary skipper near the corner flag. From the ensuing pin-balling, Jake O’Brien could have drawn Ireland level at the break, only he topped Azaz’s delivery high and wide.
On the hour mark, Hallgrímsson went for broke, withdrawing Jayson Molumby and a jaded Coleman and sending in Celtic striker Johnny Kenny for his debut alongside Festy Ebosele. Ogbene was already gone, replaced by Adam Idah as the manager abandoned his defensive system.
In Dublin two months ago, Hungary gave up a 2-0 lead under the siege of 47 crosses. Willi Orbán refused to allow Idah or Kenny to bully Ireland back into this game but Parrott was not to be denied with 10 minutes to play as he scooped his second over Dibusz to make it 2-2.
Irish chances were scarce, and Parrott fluffed a first-time shot when Idah picked him out. Almost immediately, Scales was forced to stand tall and block Varga’s shot down the other end.
Parrott, to his credit, brought it down to the wire. And then, in the madness of a last-ditch punt by Kelleher, Scales climbed over everyone and found him for the sweetest victory imaginable.
HUNGARY: Dibusz; Négo (Mocsi, 93), Orbán, Szalai, Kerkez; Szoboszlai, Tóth (Bolla, 76), Schafer (Styles, 63); Sallai (Redzic, 93), Várga, Lukács (Otvos, 63).
IRELAND: Kelleher; Coleman (Ebosele, 60), O’Shea, Collins, O’Brien (Manning h-t), Scales; Ogbene (Idah, 53), Cullen (Taylor, 80), Molumby (Kenny, 60), Azaz; Parrott.
Referee: Espen Eskås (Norway).
