Dominik Szoboszlai says it was not his intention to mock the Republic of Ireland and his controversial celebration in Hungary’s 3-2 defeat was just an in-joke between team-mates.
Hungary had looked on course to pip Ireland to a World Cup qualifying play-off place after going 2-1 up against their Group F rivals, with Barnabas Varga’s 37th-minute stunner restoring the hosts’ lead on Sunday night.
The unstoppable strike sparked pandemonium in Budapest and Varga’s euphoric team-mates flocked to celebrate with the Ferencvaros forward in frenzied scenes at Puskas Arena.
But Szoboszlai faced heavy criticism after he appeared to taunt Ireland with a playground gesture in the immediate aftermath. TV pictures, which spread like wildfire on social media, showed the Liverpool midfielder placing his thumb on his nose in a teasing fashion.
However, Ireland ensured they had the last laugh as Troy Parrott – who had earlier scored from the penalty spot – found an equaliser before scrambling home a dramatic winner in the sixth minute of stoppage time.
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Parrott’s last-gap hat-trick goal meant Ireland’s hopes of reaching next year’s World Cup remained intact, with Hungary’s players left to rue what might have been after being so cruelly denied at the final whistle.
Countless fans on social media took the opportunity to hit back at Szoboszlai over his earlier behaviour. Former Ireland, Wolves and Reading striker Kevin Doyle, meanwhile, was filmed calling the Hungary captain a ‘Liverpool c***’ while on punditry duty for RTE.
But in an interview with Hungarian newspaper Blikk, Szoboszlai professed his innocence, claiming: ‘This is a joke between myself and my own teammates, Andras Schafer, Barnabas Varga and Peter Szappanos.
‘If it was meant for the Irish, I would tell them.’
Though it has been a bitter pill to swallow, Szoboszlai feels there are ‘positives’ to take from the devastating setback for Hungary.
‘It’s still hard to accept what happened, but unfortunately you have to live with it and move on,’ he added.
‘There’s definitely a reason why this always happens to us, but we try to take the positives out of even the most difficult times.
‘We had a chance until the end. We believed we could make it to the playoffs.’
Ireland fans will be watching on with interest when the draw for the World Cup play-offs is made later today.
The play-offs consist of a semi-final and a final, with 16 teams in the mix and each round decided over one leg.
The 12 group-stage runners-up and the four top-ranked UEFA Nations League section winners – those that have not already qualified – will be in the draw.
The semi-finals are set to start on March 26 and the final will be held five days later on March 31.
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