Republic of Ireland defender Nathan Collins paid tribute to the leadership of both Seamus Coleman and John Egan in the wake of Ireland's seismic away victory over Hungary, which preserved their chances of reaching next summer's World Cup.
Troy Parrott's toe-poked goal deep in injury-time saw Ireland snatch victory in the most dramatic manner imaginable, the Dubliner latching on to Liam Scales' glancing header to complete his hat-trick and spark wild scenes of celebration among the Irish players and bench.
It capped a staggering few days for the striker, who has scored all five goals in the shock wins over Portugal and Hungary, torpedoing himself into a different realm of fame.
"There's nothing else I can say other than Troy Parrott, like, unbelievable," said Collins afterwards, speaking to RTÉ soccer correspondent Tony O'Donoghue.
"He's in some form. I hope he continues, I hope he goes to that next level. There's so much belief in him, so much belief in this team that we can do something there."
Nathan Collins says the Irish performance was 'just unbelievable' and credits Séamus Coleman and John Egan with bringing his side back up mentally after the devastating loss to Armenia in September.
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) November 16, 2025
Match report: https://t.co/LoesL8MQB8 pic.twitter.com/43Iw406KMe
The turnaround in mood since Ireland's shock loss in Yerevan is startling, when a despondent Heimir Hallgrimsson admitted the team would require a "miracle" to qualify.
Prominent in Collins' mind were two players who didn't feature in that ill-fated first window, Seamus Coleman and John Egan, both of whom returned to the camp ahead of the game in Lisbon, the former starting all four games as Ireland turned their campaign around.
"I had faith in this team. There's two people that have come into this camp recently, and that's Seamus Coleman and John Egan.
"What they've put into the team, the energy they've given and the belief and faith they've put back into us from when we were so down, it's unbelievable credit to them.
"This team is special. I said it after Finland away (in 2024) when we came back. We have something special and let's hope we can do more."
After all that, Ireland still have to battle their way through a four-way play-off, with it still unclear as to whether they will be placed in Pot 2 or Pot 3.
Collins, however, isn't ready yet to fret about permutations as the team savour one of their most famous wins.
"I don't know, let me just enjoy tonight first, and then we can worry about the play-offs and etc. Tonight was special. There's nothing to say other than Troy Parrott."
Finn Azaz provided the assists for Parrott's second goal and the euphoric Southampton player admitted at full-time: "It was the best moment of my career, to see those fans and the emotion on the staff and players' faces, it was the best moment and I'm so proud to be part of the team and proud of what we've done.
"We've got to do the business in March, but we'll celebrate today first and enjoy the moment."
Irish resilience was reflected in the 25-year-old's attitude, who said: "It doesn't matter how the game is going, I just try and stay cold, cold in my head, and to be able to make that assist was special.
"I'm not sure what minute it was, but it got us back in the game."
Finn Azaz says celebrations will happen before attention turns to World Cup playoffs on what he described as a 'crazy' day.
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) November 16, 2025
Match report: https://t.co/LoesL8MQB8 pic.twitter.com/I7wQKCmMNH
Of the man of the moment, Azaz said of Parrott: "He was pretty good against Portugal, to be honest, but it's amazing.
"I'm really happy for him, we all are, he's a top player. He deserves it."
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