LAST UPDATE | 26 May
TROY PARROTT SAYS it was a “special feeling” to score a half-hour hat-trick as Excelsior Rotterdam fight for Eredivisie survival.
The Republic of Ireland striker helped Excelsior to a 7-1 win over ADO Den Haag yesterday as they reached the final of the relegation play-offs.
“This is my first time scoring three goals, it’s a special feeling,” Parrott told Radio + TV Rijnmond afterwards.
“We came here to do what we had to do, to win the game, and I thought we won it in really good fashion.”
The 22-year-old Dubliner, on a season-long loan from Tottenham Hotspur, was on target in the third, 27th and 30th minutes at Stadion Woudestein, bringing his tally to 13 goals and four assists for the season.
The first two goals were deft, chipped finishes while he rounded off the hat-trick off from the penalty spot.
“I think there were two passes leading up to the [first] goal that maybe could have been offside,” Patrott recalled.
“I knew the first one wasn’t but the second one, I wasn’t too sure because I couldn’t see what was behind me. You have to just play until the whistle goes, good for us that it was onside and it got us off to a good start.
Troy Parrott that is magic!🤯🇮🇪
— Rep of Ireland Player Tracker (@reptracker) May 25, 2024
Take a bow son, what a finish☘️ pic.twitter.com/adL27Up3tu
“After the first one, I thought maybe the keeper will think that I will do this again. He dropped early again [for the second], it was a nice goal.
“If anyone scores two goals and we get a penalty, I think it’s only right that this person takes the penalty. It was good.”
The game was halted shortly after the third goal due to fireworks on the pitch. The hour-long delay was “frustrating,” Parrott said, with the game’s other goals coming on its resumption.
He was substituted in the 77th minute, with NAC Brada up next across two legs on Tuesday and Sunday.
“For me, I always want more, but I also understand that we have two more games to play. Especially now at this time of the season, it’s difficult where we have a lot of games in a short time.
“We have two important games left to play and we’ll do everything that we can to win the two games.”
While Adam Idah and Jake O’Brien were both on target in the Scottish and French Cup finals yesterday, there were other Irish goalscorers on the continent.
Amber Barrett (two) and Claire O’Riordan scored in Standard Liege’s 5-1 win over Club Brugge. They finished overall to Anderlecht in the Belgian women’s top-flight, with Barrett bringing her goalscoring record to 19 for the season.
There was disappointment for three other Irish women’s players this afternoon.
Diane Caldwell’s FC Zurich were beaten 3-1 by Servette FCCF in the Swiss league final, while Hearts (Ciara Grant and Kate Mooney) fell to a 2-0 defeat to Rangers in the Women’s Scottish Cup decider.
