Two Liverpool players saw their World Cup hopes collapse in dramatic fashion on Sunday.
While several of Arne Slot’s key men – including Alisson Becker, Alexis Mac Allister, Mo Salah, Wataru Endo, Ibrahima Konate and Hugo Ekitike – are on track for next summer’s tournament in North America, others were left heartbroken as the final round of qualifiers unfolded.
Slot would’ve had a close eye on events in Budapest, where Dominik Szoboszlai and Milos Kerkez started for Hungary in a decisive clash against the Republic of Ireland, who had former Liverpool keeper Caoimhin Kelleher in goal.
Both Szoboszlai and Kerkez registered first-half assists as Hungary went into the break 2–1 ahead, seemingly in control and needing only a draw to reach the play-offs.
But everything unraveled late on. Troy Parrott struck twice in the final 15 minutes – sealing his hat-trick in the sixth minute of stoppage time – to hand Ireland a stunning 3–2 victory. The result knocked Hungary out of second place in Group F and shattered the World Cup dreams of both Liverpool stars.
Kelleher also proved crucial, making five saves, including a huge late stop against Szoboszlai when the game was finely balanced at 2–2.
Despite the loss, Hungary’s Liverpool duo delivered exceptional performances.
Sofascore reported that Szoboszlai won 10 of 13 duels, completed 89% of his passes, made five key passes, four successful dribbles, five clearances and even pulled off a last-man tackle.
Kerkez won seven of his 10 duels, had an 88% pass success rate, made 12 defensive interventions and also created five chances.
Their individual brilliance wasn’t enough to prevent a crushing exit – a stark contrast to the celebrations for Kelleher, who has been central to Ireland’s resurgence during their impressive qualifying run. Ireland now await Thursday’s play-off draw to learn their next challenge.
Liverpool will hope Szoboszlai and Kerkez can bounce back quickly from the painful elimination before returning to Anfield to face Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
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