Fifty nine thousand witnessed it. The rest of us will never forget Troy Parrott's finest hour

Nobody, even the Hungarian players slumped on the turf at full-time, could begrudge Ireland their spot in next Thursday’s draw for the playoffs

GOLDEN BALL: Troy Parrott, his name now indelibly marked alongside the great moments in Irish football, kisses the match ball after scoring a hat-trick in the Puskás Aréna in Budapest. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

FIFA World Cup: HUNGARY 2 (Lukács 4, Varga 37) REP OF IRELAND 3 (Parrott 15 pen, 80, 90+5).

MIRACLES do happen, it transpires.