IRELAND’S TWO-GOAL hero Troy Parrott savoured a night that he ranked at the “very top” of his football career.
The 23-year-old carried his club form onto the international stage, with his brace against Portugal making it 15 goals from 17 appearances in all competitions this season.
More importantly, the goals kept alive the Boys in Green’s hopes of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup ahead of Sunday’s must-win clash with Hungary.
The Dubliner said Ireland’s aim going into the contest was “to do everything we can to win” but acknowledged: “I couldn’t imagine how the game was going to go like that — 2-0 up at half-time, in a really good place, so yeah, over the moon.”
Portugal had 77.2% of the ball in the game, but it was often sterile possession, and Parrott sensed an opportunity.
“What I felt was that when they had the ball, they left a lot of space behind,” he said.
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“And I thought if we had just that little bit of quality to get in behind, then we could cause some problems. And that’s exactly what we’ve done.
“We all had a belief coming in that we could get a good result. So to see it actually happen is amazing.”
Troy the boy is Ireland's man. Dream stuff for Ireland, Parrott makes it two in what is proving to be a memorable performance by team and individual
And as impressive a time as Parrott has had since moving to play in the Eredivisie, Thursday felt like a coming-of-age in an Irish jersey. He had five goals from 31 caps before last night, but none were as memorable as the two he scored against the team ranked fifth in the world.
“I haven’t started too many games for Ireland, and I would say this is the first time that I’ve started one of the really big games. So to be in there from the start and to have an impact on the game is a special feeling.
“I think there’s always a point to prove whenever you can play for Ireland. I’ve been waiting a long time for a night like this, so look, I’m just full of emotions.
“It means everything. I felt emotions scoring those goals that I’ve never felt before. I don’t even have the words to describe them.
“It is still frustrating that I’ve had to wait a long time for a night like this. But it just goes to show I have a lot of belief in myself.
“And I know it’s a bit of a cliché, but I think Sunday now is probably the biggest game. We’ve given ourselves a good chance to get into that second spot.
“I think going into this campaign, if someone said it would come down to the last game, where we have a big chance, then everyone would have taken it.”
Ahead of this international window, there was plenty of hand-wringing over Evan Ferguson’s fitness.
And while the Roma loanee has not been ruled out of Sunday’s qualifier at the time of writing, Parrott’s display on Thursday has lessened that concern and renders him likely to feature from the outset in Budapest regardless.
“It’s not really for me to say [whether I should start], I don’t make the decisions, all I have to do is go out there and do what I can,” the AZ Alkmaar star added.
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'I felt emotions scoring those goals that I've never felt before'
IRELAND’S TWO-GOAL hero Troy Parrott savoured a night that he ranked at the “very top” of his football career.
The 23-year-old carried his club form onto the international stage, with his brace against Portugal making it 15 goals from 17 appearances in all competitions this season.
More importantly, the goals kept alive the Boys in Green’s hopes of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup ahead of Sunday’s must-win clash with Hungary.
The Dubliner said Ireland’s aim going into the contest was “to do everything we can to win” but acknowledged: “I couldn’t imagine how the game was going to go like that — 2-0 up at half-time, in a really good place, so yeah, over the moon.”
Portugal had 77.2% of the ball in the game, but it was often sterile possession, and Parrott sensed an opportunity.
“What I felt was that when they had the ball, they left a lot of space behind,” he said.
“And I thought if we had just that little bit of quality to get in behind, then we could cause some problems. And that’s exactly what we’ve done.
“We all had a belief coming in that we could get a good result. So to see it actually happen is amazing.”
And as impressive a time as Parrott has had since moving to play in the Eredivisie, Thursday felt like a coming-of-age in an Irish jersey. He had five goals from 31 caps before last night, but none were as memorable as the two he scored against the team ranked fifth in the world.
“I haven’t started too many games for Ireland, and I would say this is the first time that I’ve started one of the really big games. So to be in there from the start and to have an impact on the game is a special feeling.
“I think there’s always a point to prove whenever you can play for Ireland. I’ve been waiting a long time for a night like this, so look, I’m just full of emotions.
“It means everything. I felt emotions scoring those goals that I’ve never felt before. I don’t even have the words to describe them.
“It is still frustrating that I’ve had to wait a long time for a night like this. But it just goes to show I have a lot of belief in myself.
“And I know it’s a bit of a cliché, but I think Sunday now is probably the biggest game. We’ve given ourselves a good chance to get into that second spot.
“I think going into this campaign, if someone said it would come down to the last game, where we have a big chance, then everyone would have taken it.”
Ahead of this international window, there was plenty of hand-wringing over Evan Ferguson’s fitness.
And while the Roma loanee has not been ruled out of Sunday’s qualifier at the time of writing, Parrott’s display on Thursday has lessened that concern and renders him likely to feature from the outset in Budapest regardless.
“It’s not really for me to say [whether I should start], I don’t make the decisions, all I have to do is go out there and do what I can,” the AZ Alkmaar star added.
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main man Soccer Hungary Ireland Republic Portugal Troy Parrott