Republic of Ireland defender John Egan says Heimir Hallgrimsson's side must "keep riding off the back" of November's last-gasp win away to Hungary when they face the Czech Republic in Thursday's World Cup play-off semi-final [19:45 GMT]. With victory necessary in Budapest, it appeared the Republic were set to come up just short when level deep into stoppage time before Troy Parrott popped up to poke home the winner which kept alive their hopes of qualifying for this summer's tournament in North America. "When we went 2-1 down, we still had a feeling we could get the win and for Troy to do what he did felt like you were in a movie. "We have to keep riding off the back of that wave and keep the confidence and positivity going. "These tournaments don't come around often so when you get a week like this, you have to embrace it and give everything you can to get the result."

Source: BBC March 25, 2026 10:54 UTC