Ireland secured a place in the final stage of World Cup qualification by defeating Hungary, following their stunning upset win over Portugal. In Sunday’s match held in Budapest, Troy Parrott delivered a hat-trick to lead Ireland to a 3–2 victory. Parrott had also been the hero in the game against Portugal, scoring twice.
Hungary opened the scoring in the third minute of the first half, but Parrott responded with a penalty in the 15th minute. Hungary regained the lead in the 37th minute, and the first half ended 2–1 in their favour.
In the second half, Parrott struck again in the 80th minute to level the game 2–2. With only moments left before full time, he scored once more in injury time to secure Ireland’s win. Ireland will qualify for the 2026 World Cup if they win both legs of the upcoming playoff in March.