O'Shea: This is Special, I'm Just So Proud Sunday, 16th Nov 2025 17:38 Blues skipper Dara O’Shea admitted he’d never experienced anything like the Republic of Ireland’s astonishing 3-2 last-gasp victory over Hungary in Budapest this afternoon to claim a place in the World Cup qualification play-offs. Ireland were behind twice but fought back and former Town loanee Troy Parrott completed his hat-trick to claim the points in the 96th minute. “That’s special,” O’Shea, who won his 41st full cap playing on the left of a back three, told RTE afterwards. “I wish I could bottle this up because right now it just feels mental. “The pride going through my body now, for us as a team, but us as a country. We’re all Irish fans first and foremost, and this is special. I haven’t experienced anything like this before.” Having endured a rocky qualification campaign with a 2-1 defeat in Armenia a low point, Ireland staged a Lazarus-like recovery to beat Portugal 2-0 in Dublin on Thursday - in which Cristiano Ronaldo was red-carded for elbowing the Town captain - and then the Hungarians today. “We’ve suffered a lot as a group, we’ve been through a lot and we’ve been wrote off,” O’Shea continued. “I said earlier in the week, this group’s learnt a lot of lessons and it’s important that they were lessons and that we did learn from them, and I think we’re growing as a group. “Those two results, I’ve never been part of an Irish team that’s had results like that. “I thought you couldn’t really beat the result on Thursday and then tonight, to come to a really tough place, it was really loud in there, really hostile for us. Everything was against us in a way, but we stuck together and Troy Parrott. I don’t need to say any more, just Troy Parrott!” Regarding pushing for the late, late winner, the 26-year-old added: “Just trying to find a way, looking for a way. I think any time we’ve bodies in the box we’re dangerous and you could feel that. “At the end of the game, we were getting chances and that was promising. If we weren’t creating chances maybe our heads would have dropped a bit, but we were. “And then to have the persistence and the determination that we did to keep on going there, keep putting the ball in the box and getting in the right areas and Troy’s come up at the right times, and that’s what a top international striker needs to do, and he’s done that now.” Despite the elation of the moment, O’Shea was all too aware that Ireland haven’t qualified yet. They will play a single-leg semi-final and final for a place at the finals during the March international break. “It’s alive and we haven’t qualified yet, that’s the important thing to realise, but we’ve still got to enjoy tonight,” O’Shea smiled. “It’s a massive result for us, we can take so much confidence from the last two games and especially tonight. We’ve got to bottle that feeling up and want more of that. “We’ve got a chance to get to a World Cup now in the play-offs and if you’d have given us that at the start of the campaign, I’m sure we definitely would have taken that. I’m just so proud, so proud to be Irish today.” Town midfielder Jack Taylor came off the bench in the closing stages, while Blues winger Chieo Ogbene, who is on loan at Sheffield United for the season, started but was forced off with a hamstring injury eight minutes into the second half.
Photo: Reuters Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
You need to login in order to post your comments |
   Blogs 297 bloggersIpswich Town Polls[ Vote here ] |
By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions.We in turn value your personal details in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
