Ireland’s Remarkable Comeback Against Hungary: A Rollercoaster Match Report

Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai was notably distraught at full-time as Hungary relinquished a lead twice to an unyielding Irish team. Daniel Lukacs provided Hungary with an early advantage just three minutes into the match, followed by an equalizer from Troy Parrott in the 15th minute. Barnabas Varga then restored Hungary’s lead with a goal in the 37th minute, allowing them to head into halftime ahead.

However, Parrott had other intentions, equalizing again in the 80th minute before scoring a dramatic winner shortly thereafter. This victory allowed Ireland to secure three points, finishing second in their group behind Portugal and advancing to the qualifying play-offs scheduled for March.

Following Varga’s goal, Szoboszlai was seen making a gesture that was interpreted by many as tear-wiping. This moment quickly went viral on social media, prompting speculation that the midfielder was mocking the Irish fans. In response, the Hungary international stated that the gesture was merely a lighthearted joke shared among his teammates.

In a conversation with Blikk, the 25-year-old expressed, “It is still difficult to accept what happened. Unfortunately, we have to live with it and move on. There is certainly a reason why this always happens to us. But we try to extract positives from even the toughest situations. We believed we could make the playoffs until the very end. The (celebration) was a joke among my teammates: András Schäfer, Barnabás Varga, and Péter Szappanos. If it was meant for the Irish, I would have said so.”

Former Ireland international Kevin Doyle, who played for clubs such as Wolves and Reading, was providing commentary for RTE Sports during the match. Following Parrott’s winning goal, the 42-year-old celebrated exuberantly in the studio. While RTE shared an edited clip of his reaction, unedited footage circulated on social media, revealing Doyle shouting in Szoboszlai’s direction: “Suck on that, you Liverpool c***!” He later apologized to fellow pundit Dietmar Hamann for his outburst.

Ireland will now participate in the play-off draw taking place on Thursday, November 20. The semi-finals are set to commence on March 26, 2026, with the finals slated for five days later. Sixteen teams are vying for just four places at the upcoming World Cup finals in North America, and Ireland remains in contention, facing potential matchups against teams such as Wales, Slovakia, Scotland, Czechia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, and Kosovo.