Parrott scores twice, Ireland still don't win

Parrott has been the one consistent bright spot in a patchy Irish campaign and he backed it up again, scoring twice to send the Aviva into a false sense of security. For a spell, this looked like exactly the kind of statement result Ireland have been chasing, a two-goal cushion against a side ranked well above them in the pecking order.

Then Austria happened. The visitors reeled the game back in after the break, scoring twice themselves to turn a comfortable-looking home win into a shared point. Sky Sports reported the comeback came in the second half, with Ireland unable to find the same control that had given them the lead in the first place.

A lead, then a collapse

Two goals up against a team of Austria's calibre should be the platform for a result that changes the mood around a squad. Instead it became another instance of Ireland failing to see out a winning position, a pattern that will frustrate manager and fans alike even with Parrott doing his job at the other end.

The forward's double means he leaves the Aviva with the individual honours intact. The collective picture is messier: a side that led by two goals walking away with a draw tells its own story about game management under pressure.

The protest interruption

Adding to the strange shape of the night, the match was halted twice by pro-Palestine protests in the opening 45 minutes, according to the Guardian. The disruption came before half-time, on top of a scoreline that was already swinging back and forth.

For Ireland, the takeaway is a familiar one: moments of real quality from Parrott, undone by a second half that got away from them. A draw against Austria keeps the Nations League picture alive, but it is the collapse from 2-0, not the goals that built it, that will be picked over in the days after.