Troy Parrott will get the headlines after his hat-trick saw Republic of Ireland secure an unthinkable 2026 World Cup playoff spot on Sunday, but goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher was his nation’s true hero against Hungary.
When Ireland were beaten 1-0 by Portugal at the start of October, they were rooted to the bottom of Group F with one point and just three fixtures left to play.
However, two wins – and two clean sheets for Kelleher – against Armenia and Portugal fired Ireland back into playoff contention, with manager Heimir Hallgrimsson and his side knowing they had to beat Hungary in Budapest to keep their chances of playing in North America next summer alive.
Trailing 2-1 entering the 80th minute, Hallgrimsson’s men were up against it but Parrott’s leveller in the final 10 minutes was followed up by a stunning moment in the dying seconds of the game, as the striker reacted quicker than anyone else to flick the ball past Denes Dibusz and send the away end into raptures.
‘World-Class’ Kelleher Vital for Republic of Ireland
It was Parrott’s fifth goal in two international games and while they have clearly been crucial to Ireland keeping their campaign alive, Kelleher between the stick was just as important on Sunday and they wouldn’t have been in the position to do what they did were it not for his saves.
The Brentford stopper has arguably been his nation’s most consistent performer throughout a campaign of highs and lows, and he deserves huge credit for his performance in Budapest too.
Kelleher could do nothing about Barnabas Varga’s strike which put the hosts back ahead after Parrott’s penalty had levelled the scores.
The 26-year-old then produced two brilliant saves to deny Roland Sallai and Hungary putting the game to bed, before Parrott’s late two-goal salvo made it heartbreak for Kelleher’s former Liverpool teammate Dominik Szoboszlai, who captains his nation.
Kelleher had an unfortunate career at Anfield given he was competing with Alisson for a spot in the team, as the Brazilian is considered one of the best goalkeepers in world football.
His quality has never been doubted with Virgil van Dijk labelling him as “world-class” previously, but after moving to Brentford as a number one and playing such a key role for his country now, perhaps this is the true beginning of his career at the top level.