Ireland's Troy Parrott stars with superb two-goal showing against Austria

The forward earned a Flashscore rating of 9.1 and the Player of the Match award. Despite taking a 2-0 lead, Ireland eventually drew 2-2 against the Austrians in the Nations League.

Parrott produced the game's first big moment in the 12th minute. Following a long clearance from goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher, the ball reached the attacking half, where it was claimed by the Real Betis forward. He was surrounded by four opposition defenders.

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He looked up, saw virtually no support from his teammates and decided to take matters into his own hands. Remarkably, he produced a superb solo run.

Parrott first nutmegged one of the defenders, then left another trailing with a cut inside before getting his shot away. He turned the Austrian defence into a slalom course that would have done any number of Alpine ski resorts proud, and coolly finished the move with a goal.

Ireland led 1-0, and Viktoria Plzen goalkeeper Florian Wiegele could do nothing about it. He had also been embarrassingly beaten through the legs by Parrott's well-placed finish.

Parrott added a second goal from the penalty spot just before half-time, and the hosts were in control for much of the match in Dublin. Austria managed to wipe out the deficit in the second half, however, and took a point home with a 2-2 draw.

High xG and excellent dribbling

The striker's performance is also well illustrated by his advanced statistics. The former AZ Alkmaar star recorded an xG (expected goals) of 1.35 in 75 minutes on the pitch, including the penalty.

Among out-and-out strikers in the top-tier Divisions A and B of the current Nations League campaign, only Norway's Erling Haaland and Kosovo's Vedat Muriqi have reached a higher figure.

The player, who also scored against Czechia in the World Cup play-off, was equally impressive in one-on-one situations. Parrott attempted four dribbles and completed every one of them. No centre-forward has done better so far, again in the current Divisions A and B.

In Austria's penalty area, Parrott had seven touches of the ball and got three shots away. He also created one shooting chance for a teammate worth 0.18 xA (expected assists).

More than just a finisher

The Irishman was also active in duels. He won seven of his nine ground duels and also prevailed in two of three aerial challenges, giving him an overall success rate of 75%.

He also posted solid numbers in possession. Twenty of his 23 passes found a teammate, giving him an 87% completion rate. He was even more accurate in the attacking third, with nine of his 10 attempts finding their intended target.

When he was substituted in the 75th minute, Ireland still led 2-1. Austria struck shortly afterwards. For Parrott, however, it was an outstanding individual performance.

See the full match stats with Flashscore