Parrott man of the moment as Ireland snatch play-off place

TROY Parrott scored a superb hat-trick as the Republic of Ireland snatched a World Cup playoff place from Hungary with a 3-2 win in Budapest.

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Parrott cancelled out Daniel Lukacs’ early header from the penalty spot and levelled for a second time after Barnabas Varga’s first-half strike.

He then snatched an unlikely victory in the sixth minute of stoppage time on a day when only three points were enough for Heimir Hallgrimsson’s men.

Ireland will now take part in March's shootout by virtue of finishing in second place behind Portugal, who trounced Armenia 9-1 to clinch top spot.