Why Prague is Irish football's biggest moment in years

The guns have fallen silent. The stars have aligned. The great wait is over. Come see. It will be televised.

Troy Parrott performed two miracles in Dublin and Budapest to turn non-believers into followers, the agnostics into fanatics. His winner deep into injury-time against Hungary was a 'Pulp Fiction' adrenaline shot straight into the chest: we were dead and buried; now we're not dead and buried. We're alive! And our senses have been marvellously heightened.

Never has the nation so studiously tracked AZ Alkmaar's fortunes on LiveScore, Google translated Gian Piero Gasperini's waspy injury updates, or pined for Patrik Schick to get a knock playing for Bayer Leverkusen.

Can you feel the noise? Heimir Hallgrimsson can. At his squad announcement on Thursday, a lavish bouquet of microphones in front of him and an enlarged media presence in the room, the Icelander said: "I'd like to welcome you all here. I can see in the numbers that excitement is growing."

Of course it's growing. Starved of success, there's a generation of Irish supporters who greeted the Portugal-Hungary double whammy like manna from heaven.

If Parrott's goals are the food of love play on. At least until Caoimhin Kelleher can boot one into the box.

The Republic of Ireland's World Cup play-off semi-final against Czech Republic is going to be one of the most hyped sporting occasions this country has seen in years.

If you haven't caught 'Prague Fever' yet, be warned: you will. It'll be inescapable, unavoidable, a Liveline moment - indeed Kieran Cuddihy and his team will be in Prague, broadcasting from The Irish Times bar just down the road from Charles Bridge.

This game feels huge. Too huge?

On the Stick To Football podcast, Wayne Rooney rained on the post-Budapest parade when he said: "I think it was a little bit over the top. I get it, but the celebrations, I thought they had actually qualified."

And maybe he had a point. Ireland played France in the last 16 of the Euros in 2016, Denmark in a play-off for the 2018 World Cup, and Slovakia in a Euro 2020 play-off semi-final. None of those games had build-ups quite like this; and there isn't even a direct ticket to the summer's finals on offer.

But the context matters. There's a yin and yang to being fan: the more pain you endure, the more pleasure you squeeze from the good times. When the breaks don't go your way, the game can feel cruelly futile. When they do, nothing feels more vital.

It's been tough going for Ireland, with Roy Keane's response to Rooney perhaps best summing it up: "For that team that has been struggling for so many years, to give a bit of a lift to the country... if you can't enjoy them moments... I wouldn't begrudge them it. Enjoy that moment."

No guts, no glory. And no precious financial rewards. There's gold in them hills you know. For the FAI, it could be the ultimate Hail Mary.

The association has rephased its debt of just over €36m with its three main lenders (UEFA, FIFA and the Bank of Ireland) to extend the timeframe for repayments. They know there's a windfall coming in 2028 when Ireland will be co-hosts of the Euros, but making it to the World Cup would accelerate efforts to be debt free by 2036.

If Ireland get past the Czech Republic, and then either Denmark or North Macedonia in the play-off final, the FAI will receive a guaranteed minimum of $10.5m (€9m). Every country at the finals gets just under €1.3m to help with their preparation costs and €7.7m for playing in the group stage. Ireland would receive a further €1.8m if they were to emerge from a group containing South Africa, South Korea and Mexico.

That's a chunk of change that would be very welcome at Abbotstown, where the work force has been trimmed from over 260 people to around 200.

Earlier this month, FAI CEO David Courell (above) unveiled a 2026-2029 strategy headlined, 'It's Time To Change The Game'. It outlines aims to get more boys and girls playing football, improve facilities, and improve talent pathways.

Under the metrics of population, participation and resources, Ireland is the third most underperforming nation among the 55 UEFA members. That's not a good look.

Efforts to source more funding have extended to the establishment of the Global Ireland Football Foundation (GIFF), an independent body the FAI say "will engage with private individuals and corporate partners in Ireland and around the world to attract new investment into grassroots football in Ireland". Monies raised would be put back into facilities around the country.

The sales pitch would certainly be helped if Ireland were heading to a World Cup.

And the feelgood factor would be nourished too.

Parrott's perfect prod past Denes Dibusz reawakened the muscle memory of the good times. For weeks the public digested the Roy of the Rovers barminess of it all, captured by the slow-motion RTÉ footage of the winner that turned six seconds of football into a two minutes and 34-second opera.

We stretched out the ecstasy like an elastic band to sustain us through the winter and spring.

Two more wins in the next 10 days and Ireland will dance into the summer.

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