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Troy Parrott was already a national hero in Ireland and a much-loved figure at AZ Alkmaar, but he is rapidly establishing himself as Real Betis’ go-to man.

The Dubliner came off the bench on Friday night to score a late winner against Real Madrid — his first goal since completing his summer move from the Netherlands.

Those heroics earned him a place in the starting line-up from Manuel Pellegrini for Betis’ Champions League opener away at Lille, though the evening did not begin smoothly, with the Spanish side 2-1 down at half-time.

Facundo Bernal netted a second equaliser shortly after the restart, and Parrott then struck before Lille effectively pressed the self-destruct button.

Finding a rare pocket of space, he ran onto a through ball from Rodrigo Riquelme, skipped past a defender and finished superbly with his left foot.

Just as it had against Real Madrid, the moment was soon followed by some Mbappé drama — Kylian had missed a penalty four nights earlier, and this time Ethan was sent off for an elbow.

That, though, is unlikely to bother “El Loro” as he continues taking the next step in a career that is increasingly fulfilling the promise first seen all those years ago in the Irish capital.