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Hat-trick hero Parrott: It's the first time I've cried in years..this is why we love football!

- DANNY DE VAAL

TROY Parrott could barely contain his emotions after scoring a stunning hat-trick which secured a World Cup playoff for Ireland yesterday.

The AZ Alkmaar striker ran to the stands and embraced his family and girlfriend Lauren Bowry after the final whistle blew at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary.

Ireland trailed Hungary for the majority of the crucial clash and looked set to crash out - but a converted penalty and two late goals which were all scored by the 23-year-old turned things around for the Boys in Green.

The stunning down-to-the-wire victory sparked nationwide celebrations across Ireland last night. Dublin Airport even joined in on the fun - changing its official X account name to Troy Parrott International Airport.

Up until the last 15 minutes the score was 2-1 to Hungary. Parrott equalised in the 80th minute and scored his third and final in the dying seconds of the match.

FAIRYTALE

During a pitch-side interview, the former Belvedere FC player, who is from Dublin's north inner city, described Ireland's victory as a "fairytale" and spoke about how proud he is of where he comes from.

Speaking to RTE, a visibly emotional Parrott said: "I'm really, really emotional right now... they're tears of joy."