For Republic of Ireland fans, the nerves really started to kick in on Thursday night. Just hours after Heimir Hallgrimsson unveiled his 25-man squad for the World Cup play-off semi-final against the Czech Republic, Irish eyes turned to Prague early to watch Troy Parrott in action for AZ Alkmaar. Considering it was Parrott's goalscoring heroics that propelled the Republic of Ireland to this position, the fans would have been forgiven for watching from behind the sofa.

Thankfully for them, an injury scare was not forthcoming. Instead, Parrott left an early mark on the Czech capital, scoring and bagging an assist in his side's 4-0 Uefa Conference League win over Slavia Prague. Less than 72 hours later, Parrott started again for Alkmaar.

He played all 90 minutes in a 3-0 loss to Groningen, but supporters drew a collective sigh of relief when he came through unscathed. Republic of Ireland assistant coach John O'Shea noted the team's nervousness ahead of the biggest week of their international careers. 'We had [players in games on] Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday,' he said, highlighting the packed schedule leading to the play-off showdown.