#republic-of-ireland

#republic-of-ireland

For Tommy Shields, the moment of magic was a blur. It was the dying seconds of Ireland's must-win match against Hungary on Sunday and he was high up in the third tier of Budapest's Puskás Aréna, roaring himself hoarse in the hope that the unexpected might, somehow, materialise. It did. In the sixth minute of stoppage time, goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher launched the ball towards goal.

The Republic of Ireland have beaten the Czech Republic twice in the eight meetings between the two countries. Heimir Hallgrimsson's side face a trip to the central European nation in the semi-finals of the European play-offs for a spot in the 2026 World Cup. A win for the Republic of Ireland on 26 March would set up a home final against the winner of the other semi-final between Denmark and North Macedonia on 31 March.

The Republic of Ireland have secured a second-place finish in Group F of the 2026 World Cup qualifications and a place in the playoffs, winning their last game of the campaign away to Hungary in a stunning fashion. It was imperative for the Irish to win this game, but they fell behind within three minutes as Daniel Lukacs put the hosts ahead. Troy Parrott equalized from the spot in the 15th minute, only to see his team go down again to Barnabas Varga's strike for Hungary in the 37th.

The peace and quiet of their base in the countryside, in a small, sleepy village 20km away from the bustle of the capital Budapest, was in stark contrast to the fighting talk from the Hungary camp as they are preparing for football's version of war when they collide with the Republic of Ireland on Sunday.

Campbell has been without a club since leaving London City Lionesses at the end of last season following their promotion to the WSL. The 32-year-old won 57 caps for Republic of Ireland after making her senior debut in August 2011 against Switzerland. Campbell, who could play left back or centre back, was a member of the Irish squad that qualified for the 2023 Women's World Cup, but she missed the tournament through injury.

Seamus Coleman has been left out the Republic of Ireland squad for World Cup qualifiers against Hungary and Armenia next month. The 36-year-old defender missed the June friendlies with Senegal and Luxembourg through injury but has been an unused substitute in both of Everton's Premier League games this season. Despite his return to fitness, coach Heimir Hallgrimsson has opted against an international recall for his squad captain.

"They're both out for this first game definitely, we'll see where we are at for the second game. Denise picked up a knock on the knee on Saturday and Megan picked up a knock in training yesterday," Ward told RTE.

Emily Murphy expressed her joy at scoring her first international goal, emphasizing the importance of being composed under pressure and the impact of substitutes.