"Tears of Joy in Budapest: Republic of Ireland Stun Hungary to Reach World Cup Play-Offs"
The Republic of Ireland's 2-3 victory over Hungary in the play-off semi-final has sent shockwaves throughout European football. Troy Parrott, a 23-year-old striker from Dublin, etched his name into Irish folklore with two goals against Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal just three days ago, and he repeated that heroics in Budapest, scoring in the dying minutes to seal a famous win.
Parrott's second goal, a stunning deft finish after substitute Johnny Kenny was denied by Hungary goalkeeper Dominik Szoboszlai, sent the Puskas Arena into raptures. The Ireland striker wheeled away in ecstasy as his teammates mobbed him, tears of joy streaming down his face. "I'm really, really emotional," Parrott said after the match. "They're tears of joy... this is why we love football, because things like this can happen."
Parrott's hat-trick - making him the first Republic of Ireland player to score a goal away from home in a competitive game - capped an incredible turnaround for a team that had looked doomed just three days earlier. After a dismal 5-1 aggregate defeat by Denmark in November 2017, Ireland drew their opening qualifier with Hungary before suffering a surprise 4-1 loss to Armenia.
However, since then, Parrott has inspired the team to two stunning victories over Portugal and Hungary, keeping their World Cup dreams alive. The Irish will now discover their play-off path on Thursday, but for now, they are basking in the glory of their remarkable achievement.
Coach Heimir Hallgrimsson, who led Iceland to their first-ever World Cup appearance in 2018, hailed his team's spirit and unity as "the spiral we've been in". The Icelandic coach added: "It is a moment when we should think about where we are. It is a possibility to grow from this... if we qualify for the World Cup, things might change big time."
The Republic of Ireland will need to win two single-leg games in March to reach next summer's finals in North America. But after Parrott's heroics and Hallgrimsson's inspirational words, there is renewed optimism among Irish football fans that their team can achieve the impossible.
The Republic of Ireland's 2-3 victory over Hungary in the play-off semi-final has sent shockwaves throughout European football. Troy Parrott, a 23-year-old striker from Dublin, etched his name into Irish folklore with two goals against Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal just three days ago, and he repeated that heroics in Budapest, scoring in the dying minutes to seal a famous win.
Parrott's second goal, a stunning deft finish after substitute Johnny Kenny was denied by Hungary goalkeeper Dominik Szoboszlai, sent the Puskas Arena into raptures. The Ireland striker wheeled away in ecstasy as his teammates mobbed him, tears of joy streaming down his face. "I'm really, really emotional," Parrott said after the match. "They're tears of joy... this is why we love football, because things like this can happen."
Parrott's hat-trick - making him the first Republic of Ireland player to score a goal away from home in a competitive game - capped an incredible turnaround for a team that had looked doomed just three days earlier. After a dismal 5-1 aggregate defeat by Denmark in November 2017, Ireland drew their opening qualifier with Hungary before suffering a surprise 4-1 loss to Armenia.
However, since then, Parrott has inspired the team to two stunning victories over Portugal and Hungary, keeping their World Cup dreams alive. The Irish will now discover their play-off path on Thursday, but for now, they are basking in the glory of their remarkable achievement.
Coach Heimir Hallgrimsson, who led Iceland to their first-ever World Cup appearance in 2018, hailed his team's spirit and unity as "the spiral we've been in". The Icelandic coach added: "It is a moment when we should think about where we are. It is a possibility to grow from this... if we qualify for the World Cup, things might change big time."
The Republic of Ireland will need to win two single-leg games in March to reach next summer's finals in North America. But after Parrott's heroics and Hallgrimsson's inspirational words, there is renewed optimism among Irish football fans that their team can achieve the impossible.
just saw this news and I'm totally stoked for Ireland!!! 
they went from being down to having 2 wins in a row and now they're in the World Cup play-offs 
parrott is like a superhero on the field 
i love how his teammates reacted too, all those tears of joy are amazing 
coach hallgrimsson seems pretty cool too 
can't wait to see what happens next for Ireland 
I'm so hyped 4 Rep Ireland!!! Troy Parrott is like a god on grass 
! His hat-trick is insane 
& coach Hallgrimsson's words are giving me LIFE 
I'm so proud of the Irish team for never giving up 
& now they're on the verge of making history 
Fingers crossed for Rep Ireland 
it's always the underdogs who get lucky, right? 
Ireland's got this crazy run of form, and Troy Parrott is just riding on it like a coattails 
. Don't think for a second they've actually earned their place in the World Cup... mark my words, they'll choke out in the next round 
.
... how long till he chokes under the spotlight? 
. Yeah right, like that's gonna happen 
. They'll be lucky if they make it out of the first round alive 
. Guess we've got our popcorn ready for the inevitable 
.
oh man i'm so hyped for ireland!!! troy parrotttt 
coach hallgrimsson's words of encouragement are making me believe that anything is possible for this team 
now let's keep this momentum going and show everyone what we're made of!!! 
and I'm not just saying that because he scored two goals against Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal three days ago 
. And let's be real, those tears of joy from Parrott and his teammates are the best thing I've seen all week 
. The Irish fans must be over the moon right now and rightly so! They're giving their team a fighting chance at the World Cup and who knows, maybe they'll surprise everyone and make it to the finals 
Oh man, I'm dead from this game! Troy Parrott is like a superhero, I mean who needs superpowers when you're scoring goals like that? 
but parrott's goals have been the turning point for them, coach hallgrimsson is a genius for getting them pumped up again 
Ireland totally destroyed Hungary and that Troy Parrot is a genius 
. Can't wait to see what happens next for Ireland - maybe they'll even give Portugal a run for their money 
!
I mean, I know they were already hyped after beating Portugal 3-2 just 3 days prior, but this one was on another level 
! And to think he did it just days after scoring 2 goals against Portugal too? He's like the Irish football version of Messi 
. Coach Hallgrimmsson is so right though - this team's spirit and unity are what'll take them all the way to the World Cup finals 
They deserve all this happiness after that tough start to their qualifying campaign 
And coach Hallgrimsson's words are super inspiring 
This is what football is all about, giving hope to the underdog 
.
. Bring on the March games 
That's still a pretty big setback. And what about their previous game against Armenia? They suffered a surprise 4-1 loss 
. The World Cup is always full of upsets, so we'll just have to wait and see how this plays out 
.
maybe this is Ireland's moment to shine 
and Ireland's coach is all about positivity now, hoping for a World Cup dream come true 