We must carry winning momentum into Prague – Egan

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.

From the low of their disappointing defeat away to Armenia in September which put their qualification hopes on the back foot, they managed to turn it around as that memorable victory sealed second place in Group F.

“We knew we needed to win but had a lot of belief going there,” said the 33-year-old Egan, whose side visit the Czechs before a possible home final play-off against either Denmark or North Macedonia next Tuesday.

“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.

Midway through the group campaign, Hallgrimsson’s men had banked just one point from a possible nine which came by way of another late show against Hungary as Adam Idah snatched a late leveller in Dublin.

After that dismal away loss in Armenia, they produced a battling display away to Portugal only to suffer their own late heartbreak as Ruben Neves grabbed the only goal of the game in stoppage time.

However, the performance gave them something to build on as they scraped past Armenia in the return tie, before then delivering a stirring home victory over the Portuguese days before a Sunday afternoon in Budapest that has entered Irish football folklore.

“It was a really solid performance against one of the best teams in the world [in Lisbon], so even though it was a loss, the lads came away thinking they were a minute or two away from getting a point and that gives you confidence,” Egan said of the loss in Portugal.

There is a renewed sense of optimism heading into Thursday’s semi-final in Prague at the 19,370-capacity Fortuna Arena which saw more than 6,000 Republic fans apply for their ticket allocation of 1,024.

Many will travel in hope of securing a ticket but while those in green will be outnumbered in the stadium, Egan said the support does not go unnoticed.

“We’re all Irish fans too and if we weren’t in the squad, we’d probably be trying to get a ticket.

“It’s great for everyone to have something to look forward to and we’ve given ourselves a massive chance of going through.