Budapest, Hungary – In a stunning turn of events, the Republic of Ireland secured a place in the World Cup play-offs after a dramatic 3-2 victory against Hungary at the Puskás Aréna. Troy Parrott emerged as the hero of the hour, scoring a hat-trick, including a last-gasp winner in the 95th minute, to send the travelling Irish fans into raptures.

The match was a rollercoaster of emotions for both sides. Hungary, knowing that a draw would be enough to secure their play-off spot, started strongly, with Dániel Lukács heading in Dominik Szoboszlai's cross in the 3rd minute to give the home side an early lead. Ireland responded in the 15th minute when Chiedozie Ogbene was brought down in the box by Attila Szalai, and Parrott calmly converted the resulting penalty.

Hungary regained the lead in the 37th minute through a moment of brilliance from Barnabás Varga, who chested the ball down and unleashed a half-volley into the net. The second half saw Ireland pushing for an equaliser, with goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher making a crucial save to deny Roland Sallai.

As the clock ticked down, Ireland's World Cup dreams seemed to be fading away. However, Parrott stepped up once again, scoring in the 80th minute to level the score and give Ireland a lifeline. With the game deep into added time, Parrott completed his hat-trick in the 95th minute, sending the Irish into the play-offs at the expense of Hungary.

The victory sees Ireland finish second in Group F behind Portugal, who secured the top spot with a 9-1 win over Armenia. This was after Parrott scored twice in the magnificent 2-0 win over Portugal on Thursday to revive Heimir Hallgrimsson's side's qualifying campaign. The Republic of Ireland will now participate in the World Cup play-offs in March, with the hopes of securing a place at their first World Cup finals since 2002.

The play-off draw will determine Ireland's opponents, but potential match ups include a historic fixture against Northern Ireland for a place at the World Cup. Other potential opponents are Wales and Scotland. An emotional Troy Parrott reacted to securing a play-off place for Ireland in Budapest saying, "This is why we love football because things like this can happen... I love where I'm from, my family are here, this means the world to me".