How one of the most dramatic and jaw-dropping weeks in Irish football history unfolded

Ireland’s players celebrate their dramatic 3-2 win in Hungary on Sunday
“… Troy Parrott’s puffy red eyes and trembling voice captured the elated disbelief of an entire nation. He had just completed a stunning hat-trick in the Republic of Ireland’s 3-2 victory away to Hungary on Sunday night, sealing it with a stoppage-time strike that tore the runners-up’s play-off place in Europe’s Group F away from opponents who needed only a draw to secure it. The sight of Parrott buried beneath an ecstatic mountain of team-mates and coaching staff on the Budapest turf was utterly unthinkable a week ago. After the ignominy of a 2-1 away defeat against Armenia in September — a team ranked 105th in the world then and beaten 9-1 by Portugal yesterday — Ireland needed a sequence of results few believed possible to keep their World Cup hopes alive. …”
NY Times/The Athletic