Troy Parrott left to feed off scraps by an Irish team that never found any rhythm

Troy Parrott ’s night in Kosovo ended in desperate frustration, substituted with more than 10 minutes remaining and booting a football against a wall as he trudged to the dugout.

By the equivalent stage of Ireland ’s win in Budapest last November, Parrott still had only one goal to his name. Instead he finished this night sitting in the dugout, watching a train of Kosovo players flash by as they sprinted down the touchline, losing themselves in their joy at Vedat Muriqi’s late winning goal.

Muriqi was this game’s headline act, striding around the pitch magnificently; winning a series of towering headers and shunting Irish defenders out of his way like skittles. That Muriqi had to stoop to score the winning goal was a rich irony. Parrott, by contrast, endured a maddening night, left to feed off scraps by an Irish team that never found any semblance of attacking rhythm.