My Sport Moment 2025: How I didn't see Troy Parrott score that goal

STRANGE things happened against Portugal. And even stranger ones a few days later against Hungary. Troy Parrott turned the Irish soccer world upside down with his flick of a ball in Budapest.

My favourite sports moment of the year took place while on a train from Dublin home to Westport. My fiancée and I had just spent a brilliant weekend in the Big Smoke. We went to see the Nutcracker ballet at the Bord Gais Theatre the night before. A highly-recommended show, we had a fantastic time.

Limited train services dictated our choice for the return journey the following day, which meant we would get on our train while Ireland would be halfway through the second half of their World Cup qualifying match against Hungary.

LITTLE HEED

NOW, even though I grew up in Germany, a soccer-mad country, my interest in that sport has kind of cooled off a bit over the last decade. Other interests have steadily occupied more time and space, I’ve definitely diversified my interests over recent years.

A lot of Gaelic football, rugby or more basketball and American football these days. The occasional visit of the sacred grounds of Dalymount Park to support Bohemian FC are the notable exception.

But to be honest, the Ireland men’s team wasn’t on my radar for many years. Whenever they had a match, I didn’t really take any heed. It was only this World Cup Qualifying campaign, that I took a bit of an interest.

For the wrong reasons one might say. They were simply so bad, the loss away to Armenia being the most painful one, that watching their matches was equivalent to staring at photos of a car crash.

One simply couldn’t take one’s eyes off of it. It’s true - either exuberant success or dismal failure bring out our biggest emotions.

However, something changed very suddenly. I remember coming home from work a few days prior. I was alone for couple of hours, and tired, so I decided to pop on the Ireland versus Portugal game.

Sure what’s the worst that could happen? Ireland usually put up a decent fight against the big dogs. I didn’’t expect anything. I distinctly remember text messages before the match saying “It’s over”, because Ireland needed at least a point to have a slim chance of staying in the race for play-off spot. Many people wrote them off and there wasn’t any plausible reason to believe otherwise.

Ninety minutes afterwards: The whole country was thrilled and enthralled by this Ireland team after years of being lost in the doldrums.

CHANGED UTTERLY

ALL had changed utterly that evening on the couch watching Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal downed 2-0, and suddenly I had a keen interest in the match against Hungary the following Sunday.

When the game kicked off we found ourselves in a restaurant at Heuston Station in Dublin. Around us I saw people with their phones propped up against salt dispensers. Sure, I had the live stream on, while we were having our lunch, but when it was time to go to our train, Ireland were 2-1 down.

Hopes faded. I could see the desperation on a man’s face standing next to the coffee stall we were queuing up at. He had his phone in his hand, pacing back and forth. He had that energy of a sports fan: Every fibre of his muscles tense, veins on the forehead popping.

We shuffled over to the train, got seated - and then we heard from a few seats back: “Yes! 2-2!” I got excited and tried to get the live stream going on my phone. To no avail really, the screen would freeze up and it really was a lost cause. I put the phone down. How likely was it anyway? There were only a couple of minutes left on the clock.

INSTANT CONNECTION

I GLANCED over my shoulder. Someone had his tablet set up and I could make out a part of the screen. I didn’t want to pry, so turned my head away. Then suddenly, loud cheers, from several corners of the carriage.

“Yes” was shouted everywhere. I felt the excitement building, turned my head back and saw Troy Parrott in a close up. Ecstatically running across the pitch. People were clapping. ‘Isn’t it brilliant’ I heard an elderly woman say. 

Everyone in that carriage seemed to have an instant connection. A sense of unity, rarely seen and felt in public spaces, especially in such a spontaneous fashion. A rush of adrenaline even shot through my limbs.

It felt exactly like one of those moments. Someone will ask me in many years’ time: Where were you when Troy Parrott scored against Hungary? I’ll be able to say: Well, I didn’t see it, but it was pure magic!

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