45+1 mins: A Hungary shirt gets a toe to it and clears.
Five additional minutes for this half. Schafer comes again, Kelleher is called into action to claim a cross.
Szalai gives a rueful smile as he’s handed a yellow for shoving Ogbene to the ground. Deeply cynical.
Flo Clifford16 November 2025 14:50
45 mins: Schafer and O’Shea are both fine to continue.
Ogbene has been lively and he crosses towards Azaz, but it’s punted away… Hungary are shouting for handball by Cullen.
Coleman wins a free-kick from Sallai, a couple of yards in from the corner flag. Cullen to take…
Flo Clifford16 November 2025 14:49
42 mins: That was a lovely cross by Kerkez too.
In Porto, Joao Neves has just scored his second, so unless Portugal suffer an almighty collapse/have every man sent off, they’re topping the group.
Ogbene floats in a cross but Parrott can’t latch onto it; Schafer collides with O’Shea trying to clear, and there’s a break in play for medical staff to attend to them.
Flo Clifford16 November 2025 14:46
37 mins: That is just sublime from Varga!
Again it comes out of nowhere. A deep cross bounces nicely just on the edge of the box; Varga chests it down and lashes it home on the spin, firing into the top corner without even a glance. His fifth goal in five games. Kelleher had no chance.
Flo Clifford16 November 2025 14:41
35 mins: O’Brien clears an attempt by Sallai before it can trouble Kelleher, before Szalai gets a telling off for just clattering into the back of an Ireland player. He throws his arms in the air theatrically, deeming it a great injustice.
Danger now for Ireland as Kelleher leaps for a cross but tangles with O’Shea and can’t quite get his fingertips to it.
O’Shea recovers to thump it clear before Szoboszlai, bearing down on Kelleher, can get himself in position to shoot.
Flo Clifford16 November 2025 14:39
31 mins: Elsewhere, a quickfire double from Gonçalo Ramos and João Neves means Portugal are 3-1 up against Armenia.
Flo Clifford16 November 2025 14:34
28 mins: Oh my word, out of nowhere Hungary burst into life again after a less frenetic few minutes, and Kelleher makes an absolutely superb block!
Lukacs fires in a glorious cross from the right, Sallai is in tap-in range but the Brentford keeper whips out an arm to block. Living dangerously, Ireland at the moment.
Flo Clifford16 November 2025 14:32
24 mins: Szalai comes a cropper tangling with Ogbene again, who he fouled earlier for the penalty. He escapes a caution this time.
O’Brien gets in Varga’s way and Hungary have a free-kick, quite far out but fairly central… there are a lot of bodies in the way of Szoboszlai’s low strike and it’s dealt with easily.
Hungary’s Daniel Lukacs scores his side’s opening goal (AP)
Troy Parrott scores a penalty to equalise for Ireland (REUTERS)
Flo Clifford16 November 2025 14:27
20 mins: Molumby gets the better of Szoboszlai but Hungary win it back, Sallai fires a nice long ball forward onto Varga and the hosts come again.
Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban is in attendance today, such is the importance of this encounter.
Over in Porto, Armenia have dragged one back against Portugal! Eduard Spertsyan hasn’t made himself popular with the Irish but he’s on his way to redeeming himself now.
Flo Clifford16 November 2025 14:23
15 mins: Parrott’s third goal in four matches. Ice cool. The 3,000 Irish fans in the Puskas Arena go wild.
Flo Clifford16 November 2025 14:19