Troy Parrott couldn’t contain his emotions as the Republic of Ireland qualified for the World Cup play-offs in truly dramatic style.
Parrott completed a stunning hat-trick in the sixth minute of stoppage time against Hungary as Ireland came back to win 3-2 in Budapest.
Ireland have finished second in Group F of UEFA qualifying for the 2026 World Cup and therefore reached the play-offs in March.
Parrott, who scored both goals in their shock 2-0 win over Portugal on Thursday, was at the heart of the wild full-time celebrations.
He then cut an emotional figure during a post-match interview as he wiped tears from his eyes when reflecting on the victory.
“I’m really, really emotional right now, he told RTE Sport. “Tears of joy. What a night, what a night.”
“This is why we love football because things like this can happen,” he added. “I love where I’m from, so this means the world to me.
“My family’s here… This is the first time I’ve cried in years as well, I really, really can’t believe it. She’s [his mum] really proud of me.”
“Everyone’s crying,” he also said. “I said against Portugal that this is what dreams are made of.
“But this tonight, I don’t think I’ll ever have a better night in my whole life.”
Speaking on his winning goal, Parrott said: “It’s a fairytale. You can’t even dream about something like that.
“Honestly, I have no words to describe the emotions right now.”
At the end of the interview, he explained: “I think everyone wrote us off at the start of the group.
“And I couldn’t have said it enough, that there’s always a chance, and we’ve taken the chance.
“I think everyone should be proud of the group of players that are over there.
“To go down in the game twice and then come back like that is… Yeah, it’s beautiful.”
How Ireland can qualify for the World Cup
Ireland were always going to face a tough task of finishing in the top two of Group F when they drew Portugal and Hungary.
Even Armenia got the better of them early on in qualifying as they won 2-1, with the Boys in Green winless in their first three matches.
But three consecutive victories against their opponents means they have finished second on ten points, two ahead of Hungary.
They are one of 16 sides who will compete in the play-offs in March to decide the last four European sides who will qualify for the finals.
Ireland will be in one of four play-off paths consisting of four of the 16 teams, which also includes the best-ranked Nations League sides.
The winners of the two single-leg semi-finals clashes in each path will then play a single-leg final, with the winner going to the World Cup.
Therefore, the four winning nations will make up the rest of the 16 UEFA sides heading to the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Ireland will discover who their opponents are when the draw is made on November 20.
Should Ireland win their play-off matches, they will qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 2002.
The 2026 tournament would also be just their fourth appearance in world football’s most prestigious competition.
