John O’Shea gets ‘cup final’ feeling as Republic of Ireland prepare for play-offPress Association Sport staffJohn O’Shea insists the Republic of Ireland are tapping into the “cup final” feeling gripping the squad ahead of Thursday’s World Cup play-off semi-final against the Czech Republic. The stakes are high, but assistant manager O’Shea insists a full-strength squad were in high spirits when they gathered in Dublin on Monday morning. Training today almost reminded me of that cup final scenario,” former Manchester United defender O’Shea said. Striker Troy Parrott completed his hat-trick in almost the final act of the game to secure the play-off against the Czech Republic. “We have to reinforce that (Hungary win) again straight away, and the boss did it at a meeting this morning with the boys,” O’Shea said.

Source: Irish Independent March 23, 2026 18:15 UTC