Szoboszlai seemingly mocking Ireland supporters following Barnabas Varga’s goal to put Hungary in front in Budapest. The Liverpool star was seen putting his hand up to his nose and wiggling his fingers about in the direction of the Hungary bench.
Many fans took offence to this and believed the playmaker was mocking Ireland. Former Premier League striker Kevin Doyle also appeared to take aim at the Liverpool star following Ireland’s win, saying: "Suck on that you Liverpool c***.”
Szoboszlai and Liverpool team-mate Milos Kerkez were left stunned after the final whistle and now the midfielder has had to clarify his celebration, which he says was aimed at his own team.
Speaking to Blikk, the 25-year-old said:
"It is still difficult to accept what happened. Unfortunately, we have to live with it and move on. There is certainly a reason why this always happens to us.
“But we try to take the positives out of the most difficult times. We had a chance until the end; we believed that we could make the playoffs. This (the celebration) is a joke between my own teammates, András Schäfer, Barnabás Varga and Péter Szappanos. If it was meant for the Irish, I would tell them."
Ireland will now take their place in the play-off draw, which will be held on Thursday, November 20th as they aim to make it to the World Cup in the US, Mexico and Canada.
The play-offs consist of a semi-final and a final, with 16 teams in the mix and each round decided over one leg.
The 12 group-stage runners-up and the four top-ranked UEFA Nations League section winners – those that have not already qualified – will be in the draw.
The semi-finals are set to start on March 26tg and the final will be held five days later on March 31st.