Republic of Ireland caretaker manager John O’Shea said his team had “found a way to win” during Tuesday’s match against Hungary in Dublin.
Troy Parrott’s 92nd-minute winner ended Hungary’s 14-match unbeaten run, and they will face Germany, Scotland or Switzerland in the Euro 2024 final.
O’Shea, who led the team to its first victory as interim manager, initially took charge on an interim basis for the matches against Belgium and Switzerland in March, and then took charge of the matches against Hungary and Portugal on June 11.
The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) is hoping to permanently appoint a successor to Stephen Kenny, who stepped down in November, before the start of the Nations League season in September.
O’Shea acknowledged that despite a loss and a draw against Belgium and Switzerland, the results were the most important.
“We won tonight, we found a way to win,” the former Manchester United defender said.
“That’s something we talked about beforehand. That was a big thing for us.”
Adam Idah headed the ball into the net to put the home side ahead before Adam Lang equalised just before half-time.
Parrott took advantage of a defensive error in the closing stages, charging towards goal and scoring the winning goal, and O’Shea celebrated the victory with his players and staff on the bench.
“The situation I’m in, I was born in Waterford, I’m managing Ireland, it’s my third game in charge and we’ve won,” the 43-year-old added.
“We’ve played against really strong teams in Belgium and Switzerland and now we’re coming up against a team that is unbeaten in 14 games. I’m very proud of all the staff, the backroom staff and especially the players.”
“They were dedicated and hard working. We can and should be better and we will be better.”
“We knew what kind of form Parrot was in,” O’Shea said after the 22-year-old scored a hat-trick in Excelsior Rotterdam’s 4-1 win over NAC Breda.
“I said we’re going to need everyone’s help, especially at this time, because it’s a difficult time for the team,” he added.
“If we had passed the ball a little better in the first half, we could have given Hungary a lot of advantage in attack.”
The Republic of Ireland travel to Portugal on 11 June for their final match before facing England in their opening Nations League match in September.
O’Shea’s future beyond the Aveiro match is unclear but he says he wants to “enjoy” the win over Hungary before turning his attention to the Portugal game.
“They are probably one of the favourites to win the Euros and will be in the running to win it,” O’Shea said.
“We came back having won a football match and we want to savor this victory, but we will overcome it all and prepare for Portugal.”
