Liam Scales is now turning into an Ireland hero after the Celtic star’s performance in the win over Portugal.
The Irish media heaped praise on the Celtic defender after Ireland’s historic win over Cristiano Ronaldo’s side helped keep their 2026 World Cup dream alive.
Scales was front and centre of the win as Scales’ assist helped Troy Parrott open the scoring in the 17th minute of the game.
The Celtic star was solid on the left side of a five-man Ireland defence and here, Scales shares his immediate reaction to setting up a World Cup showdown with Hungary on Sunday night.
Photo by Tim Clayton/Getty ImagesLiam Scales admits Ireland were about to change ‘his role’ just before Celtic star’s assist vs Portugal
The Hoops defender was deployed on an unusual left wing-back role for Ireland and Scales flourished as he helped humble Portugal’s superstars.
And speaking post-match, Scales was clearly over the moon with his performance and the fact Ireland are still in with a shout of qualifying for football’s biggest tournament.
Scales told RTE, “It’s a great result and a great performance. We were solid, and we took our chances as well.
“And we’re good from set pieces, but we do know it’s only half-time, so we need to go and get a result now at Hungary, but it’s an amazing night, and the fans deserve it as much as we do.”
And speaking about his assist in Ireland’s first goal, Scales continued, “We’ve been working on me getting free at the back post and getting the ball back across all week of training, and I hadn’t put one back right into the right area.
“They were almost about to take me off that role, but I said I’d do it on the day, and luckily, I did. Troy was brilliant. You know, he’s always in the right place at the right time.”
“I said I’d do it on the day and luckily I did!”
Liam Scales spoke to RTÉ Sport’s Tony O’Donoghue after the phenomenal win over Portugal.
Watch Hungary v Republic of Ireland on Sunday on RTÉ2 and the RTÉ Player. pic.twitter.com/m01nwgYDyE
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Watch Celtic defender Liam Scales deliver Ireland assist that broke Portugal’s heart
Scales is certainly not known for his attacking prowess at Celtic, so when the big defender pops up with an assist for his country, it’s always well worth watching.
Have a look at this:
Ghosting in at the back post, it’s clear Scales knew exactly what he was doing as the Celtic star drifted in quietly to cause havoc in the Portugal defence.
Next up on Sunday night is a big game in Hungary where a win will be enough to take Ireland into second place in Group F, and book their tickets to the World Cup.