Ireland secure second place with a last-minute 3-2 win over Hungary and can still hope for a place in the World Cup via the play-offs. Troy Parrott is the celebrated man with a hat-trick.
Ireland have a new national hero! Troy Parrott scored in the 96th minute to give the Irish a 3-2 win in Hungary and send his team into the World Cup play-offs. Ireland can thus continue to hope for their first World Cup appearance since 2002.
There was huge joy after the last-minute goal. Not only among the Irish TV commentators (see video above). Numerous videos on the internet show how much participating in the play-offs means to the fans. A video from a public viewing at Dublin airport goes viral.
The euphoria is so great that the official X-Channel of Dublin Airport quickly changes its name to "Troy Parrott International Airport".
Parrott is in tears
Parrott, a striker for Dutch club AZ Alkmaar, was hardly a household name to most football fans before this international break. But after scoring a brace in the 2-0 win over Portugal on Thursday, the 23-year-old scored a hat-trick in the 3-2 win over Hungary.
In the TV interview after the game, Parrott was in tears. "I'm very emotional right now, sorry," he says in a tearful voice. "These are tears of joy, what a night! I just can't believe it. That's why we love football. I don't think I'll ever have a better night in my life. It's just beautiful."
