Troy Parrott and Michael Obafemi stole the show on their first date as Ireland team-mates.
And Tottenham starlet Parrott is hoping they now form a long-lasting relationship having shown what they can do together.
The two forwards tore Scotland apart at Aviva Stadium last weekend, scoring a goal apiece and assisting each other in the 3-0 Nations League rout.
Obafemi teed-up Parrott’s headed goal with an outrageous clipped ball, while Parrott returned the favour with a simple pass that Obafemi blasted home from distance.
Swansea City ace Obafemi was making his first Ireland start having returned to the national team after four years out in the cold.
His one and only cap before his substitute appearance in Armenia was off the bench in Martin O’Neill’s final game in charge away to Denmark in late 2018.
In that time, Parrott has stepped up from Under-21 level with mixed fortunes, but started three of these June games.
And he finished on a high with his first competitive goal, after redeeming himself following a subdued performance in the dire defeat in Armenia when he was hooked..
The groin injury that Obafemi shipped in the Scotland game meant the pair were denied the chance to link up again in Poland.
But Parrott - back at Spurs in two weeks for pre-season training after an impressive season long loan at MK Dons - is excited by the chaos he can cause with Obafemi.
Parrott said: “It was our first time playing on the same pitch. We had never been on the same pitch together.
“In the Under-21 game against Italy (in 2019), he came on after I got sent off. But last Saturday against Scotland, it was like we had played together so many times.
“For him to see the run that I made and the execution of the pass was lovely. I didn’t have to do much to assist him. I just laid the ball off for him and he did the rest.
“We felt happy on the pitch and we were looking for each other all the time, in and out of possession. As the front two, we pressed really well.”
And Parrott continued: “I didn’t know much about him growing up because he’s a little bit older than me.
“I saw him when he was at Southampton. He’s a quality player and to click with him was unexpected because we had never played together but it seemed to do us good.”
Parrott is hoping to play a leading role when Ireland close out their Nations League games in late September with a trip to Scotland before hosting Armenia.
But he knows he will have to make the right decision on his club future and be playing regularly to keep his place in Stephen Kenny’s team.
The season at MK Dons has stood to him after disappointing loan stints at Ipswich and Millwall before that - but he doesn’t yet know what the future holds.
“After two disappointing loans it’s fair to say that things are looking up for me and I’m on a bit of an upwards trajectory,” said the 20-year-old Dubliner.
“(After the Scotland goal) I got a few messages from people at Tottenham saying ‘well done’. It’s always nice to get a goal in a big game like that, especially at the Aviva.
“It was my first competitive one too. But the most important thing is getting into the right areas to score goals.
“That’s better than standing on the edge of the box waiting for things to fall. It’s about getting in there to see what happens.
“I just need to keep that going, keep improving and keep giving it my all. Going on loan is for playing men’s football and realising what you have to do throughout a game.
“And I think that I have matured a lot over the three loans that I’ve had and I’m just happy that it’s starting to click.”
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