One Ireland fan is €1.5 million richer after Mick McCarthy's side drove him to gamble out of boredom.
A dad-of-two from Dublin won the eye-watering sum during the second-half of Ireland's 3-1 win with Bulgaria after a dismal first-half display left him searching for some entertainment.
The bored punter signed up to Paddy Power Games and placed a €4 stake on the firm's ‘Lucky Halloween’ slots game - instantly landing a whopping €1,555,326.42 jackpot.
And the man, who recently began working with a discount supermarket chain, could hardly believe his luck as he questioned whether his eyes were deceiving him - adding that he wouldn't be a millionaire but for Ireland's lacklustre performance early on.
The punter said: “The Ireland v Bulgaria football game was on and the first half was dire. I was watching it on my phone so I went on to Paddy Power Games and thought I’d give it a go.
“I know it’s probably the standard response, but I very literally couldn’t believe my eyes. I sent a screenshot to my brother and asked, is that €1.5 million or €1.5 thousand? He replied, 'that’s 1.5 million bro!'.
"Only for them being so absolutely sh*t, I wouldn’t have won!”
Two minutes after he landed the whopping prize, Ireland turned it on as Kevin Long and James Collins bagged goals as Mick McCarthy's men pulled away from Bulgaria at the Aviva Stadium to complete a stunning night for the fan.
A spokesperson for Paddy Power added: “While the rest of us were on our feet cheering for Ireland, this customer must have been stuck to his sofa with shock. Did his good rub of the green rub off on the Boys in Green? All we know is the second half was anything but boring – especially for him.”
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