Liam Scales enjoyed his best night yet in a Republic of Ireland shirt as his chances of making it to the World Cup took an unlikely turn for the better.
The Celtic centre-back was deployed at left-wing-back in Thursday night’s famous 2-0 victory over Portugal, which keeps their hopes of securing a World Cup play-off place again.
He and his team-mates head for Hungary on Sunday knowing a repeat would clinch a play-off spot, which seemed unlikely at the beginning of this camp.
“For me personally, it’s the best night I’ve had in an Ireland shirt,” the 27-year-old who nodded down the assist for Troy Parrott’s opener said.
“The game-plan paid off. We wanted to be solid, we wanted to catch them on the counter-attack, we wanted to be good at set-pieces, and that’s what won us the game.
“It’s a great feeling. We know we’re only halfway there and we’ve got to do the same on Sunday, but we’ll enjoy that.
“It will be a night that’ll be remembered, so it’s amazing to be part of that.”
It’s been a difficult year for Scales at international level – the Portugal game was his first start since the 5-0 Nations League defeat by England last November, in which he was sent off for a second bookable offence.
However, he was not found wanting in his country’s hour of need and relished the opportunity to prove himself all over again.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” he added. “Starting a game for Ireland is the best, the highest it gets, for me anyway. Being able to sing the national anthem on the pitch, I’m just glad I got to do that again.
“I’m happy with whatever role I have in the squad. It’s all about us doing it together as a unit. If I can help in any way possible, I will.
“Sunday’s the big one. We wanted to be in with a shout going into the second game and we are.
“That’s the best possible outcome we could have had.”
