A well-known figure at Manchester United, Roy Keane, has shown his support for the Republic of Ireland following their comeback victory, which keeps their hopes alive for World Cup 2026 qualification.
Twice, Ireland were trailing by a single goal in their critical Group F encounter against Hungary at the Puskas Arena in Budapest; however, Troy Parrott managed to score with only ten minutes remaining and then again in the dying seconds of the match.
Roy Keane praises Ireland for their ‘remarkable’ comeback win
Ireland will find out who they will be playing in the play-offs during the draw on Thursday. Keane was clearly delighted when the ITV Football studio began their coverage on Sunday, focusing on England’s final qualifying match against Albania.
Mark Pougatch, the presenter, began the show by celebrating Ireland’s victory. Ian Wright, a former England international, also enjoyed Keane’s excitement, and the former Man United midfielder expressed his enthusiasm openly.
“Incredible. Wonderful. Incredible,” Keane exclaimed.
“Considering how their campaign began, with a draw and a loss, their recovery has been outstanding. Winning today, especially after the result against Portugal, is truly amazing.”
“This is a significant morale boost for the nation and the team. The manager faced a lot of criticism, but they’ve come back strong, building momentum. Parrott’s hat-trick is fantastic. There’s been a lot of talk about him over the years, and he’s really stepped up recently. This is a great accomplishment.
“Hopefully, they’ll do well in the play-offs.”
With England already securing their spot, Northern Ireland and Wales heading to the play-offs, and Scotland still vying for automatic qualification, Pougatch tried to encourage Keane to extend his praise to other teams.
“I’m not particularly concerned about the other teams right now, but it’s fantastic that Ireland is back in contention and has a chance,” the expert commented with a smile.
Keane, born in Cork and ranked 28th in FourFourTwo‘s list of the greatest footballers of the 1990s, represented the Republic of Ireland 67 times between 1991 and 2005. This period included a well-known disagreement with then-manager Mick McCarthy, which led to his departure from the Ireland camp in Saipan during the 2002 World Cup.
The World Cup qualification play-offs will involve a total of 16 teams, with four pairs of semi-finals leading to four finals. The winners of these finals will secure four spots at the World Cup, which will be hosted jointly by the United States, Canada, and Mexico next summer.
Under the guidance of Heimir Hallgrimsson, the former manager of Iceland and Jamaica, Ireland needed a victory in Budapest to eliminate Hungary from contention for the World Cup.
They continue to hope for their first qualification since the tournament held in Japan and South Korea in 2002, where they reached the second round in what was their third appearance at a World Cup finals.
