Republic of Ireland coach Heimir Hallgrimsson speaks on RTE Sport:
“It was a strange game.
“We seemed nervous at the start, struggling with movements, defending too late and not being aggressive enough.
“We gave everything and ended up using three strikers.
“The boys deserved what happened and I congratulate the Irish nation for having the boys.
“He should enjoy this moment.
“Unfortunately he was injured for a long time at the start of the season, otherwise he would have become one of the top scorers in Europe, if not the top scorer.
“He just showed his quality.
“This moment shouldn’t be about finding heroes; it should be about this team, the spirit, the unity and the hard work that this team has shown.”
Republic of Ireland’s Dara O’Shea speaks on RTE Sport:
“This is special, I wish I could bottle this.
“Right now it feels mental.
“This is something special and I have never experienced anything like it.
“We suffered a lot as a group and went through a lot. We were written off and this group learned a lot of lessons.”
“We’ve grown as a group and these two results. I’ve never been part of an Irish team that has achieved results like that.
“We haven’t qualified yet, that’s the most important thing, but we still have to have fun tonight.
“It’s a great result and we can take so much confidence from the last two games, especially tonight.
“We have to suppress this feeling and want more of it.
“We have the chance to get to the World Cup through the play-offs and if you had given us that at the start of the season we would certainly have taken it.”
FT: 2-3
“I wish I could suppress that because right now mentally I feel how much pride is going through my body right now for us as a team and us as a country” – O’Shea@rte2 @rteplayer https://t.co/xaKTb2LBVG
Updates: https://t.co/TC5xt2IxRd pic.twitter.com/epAvrxgpKs— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) November 16, 2025
Nathan Collins says Ireland’s performance was “simply incredible” and praises Séamus Coleman and John Egan for getting his side back on their feet mentally after their devastating defeat to Armenia in September.
Match report: https://t.co/LoesL8MQB8 pic.twitter.com/43Iw406KMe
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) November 16, 2025
Finn Azaz says the celebrations will take place before attention turns to the World Cup playoffs, which he described as a “crazy” day.
Match report: https://t.co/LoesL8MQB8 pic.twitter.com/I7wQKCmMNH
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) November 16, 2025
This is how the fans reacted to the absolute scenes when Troy Parrott’s sensational hat trick took Ireland into the World Cup play-offs…
@27khv: Magical stuff. The winner was very similar to Robbie Keane against Germany in 2002. Scaled with the Quinn-style header.
@pugtastrophe: Everything about it is perfect – the clock ticking into added time, deafening whistles from a hostile home crowd, the old-fashioned final throw of a long ball, substitutes streaming onto the pitch to celebrate, screaming co-commentator (Ray Houghton). Simply perfect.
@Joe3y6: I almost put my wife into labor with my reaction the utter carnage if they make it to the World Cup in the States
@BeckydBecky: Ray Houghton in the background is as pure as anything
@HarbourLord: Mate, honestly, this is so sensational for us Irish. I cannot express how big this is for us as a nation. Come on, you damn boys in green
@markdwelsh: an absolute miracle of monumental proportions. Beating Portugal 2-0 and Hungary 3-2 after falling behind twice in four days is astonishing. There is still a lot of work ahead of us, but we have a chance to do something we haven’t done since 2002.
@MichaelVerity: What a gratifying goal. The risky run at the knockdown, the quality of the header, followed by the tiny touch of the Parrott’s studs to beat the goalkeeper so narrowly. In the last seconds of 5 minutes added. Nonsense
@KDurack: We don’t experience moments like this very often. But we create them about every ten years What a feeling to see that live, my God. This is a sensational comment – enjoy every minute
@potter0075: Just look at this. I’m not even Irish and it makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Simply incredible scenes. How can you not love football, man? Nice.
@AttentionMillwall: The rise of Troy Parrott is really worth seeing. Like everyone at The Den, I was really hoping he would find his form with us – that wasn’t to be the case – but he’s definitely coming through now and the World Cup is just around the corner. Well done kid, I always thought there was a strong player
@chrisadonnelly: Troy Parrott cries during post-game interview. Means so much. What every fan wants from their players.
@Phill_Loveridge: I would say Troy Parrott won’t be paying for a pint in Ireland for the next few years. But also a great performance from Kelleher. ##COYBIG
