2026 World Cup: Australia stun Turkiye 2-0 in counterattacking masterclass

Australia unafraid triumph successful Group D courtesy of goals from Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe.

Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe person scored arsenic Australia person spoiled Turkiye’s instrumentality to the World Cup for the first clip successful 24 years with a 2-0 victory.

Goalkeeper Patrick Beach made 8 saves for the Socceroos successful their radical opener connected Saturday nighttime arsenic FIFA President Gianni Infantino looked connected successful Vancouver, Canada.

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Australia manager Tony Popovic pulled disconnected a immense daze successful his starting lineup, dropping experienced skipper and goalkeeper Maty Ryan successful favour of Beach, winning lone his 3rd cap.

Vice skipper Jackson Irvine was besides dropped successful favour of 21-year-old midfielder Paul Okon-Engstler successful a starting XI that featured 10 World Cup debutants.

Both of those selections proved to beryllium inspired arsenic Beach pulled disconnected a drawstring of good saves to contradict Turkiye, who dominated possession and territory but could not find a mode past the Australian goalkeeper.

Okon-Engstler, meanwhile, was instrumental successful mounting up the opening extremity successful the archetypal half, unleashing a agelong shot that divided the Turkish defence and sent Irankunda racing successful connected extremity to score.

Turkiye – playing successful the World Cup for the archetypal clip since finishing 3rd astatine the 2002 tourney – arrived successful North America dreaming of making a superior tally successful the knockout rounds.

But their talented team, made up mostly of players who regularly vie successful the European Champions League, were incapable to get to grips with a well-organised Socceroos lineup.

One of Turkiye’s champion chances came successful the 27th infinitesimal erstwhile Real Madrid’s Arda Guler forced a astute prevention from Beach with a rasping shot.

Just seconds aft that chance, though, Australia took the lead.

Beach picked retired Okon-Engstler heavy successful the Australia half, and the midfielder pumped the shot upfield for Irankunda.

The Australia winger inactive had plentifulness to do, but a clever archetypal interaction took him wide of the covering defence earlier helium tucked distant a debased finish.

Irankunda celebrated by sprinting to the borderline of the transportation and pretending to container the country flag, mimicking erstwhile Australia skipper Tim Cahill’s signature extremity celebration.

Turkiye thought they had equalised 3 minutes aboriginal aft Abdulkerim Bardakci’s pile-driver from extracurricular the country hurtled towards goal.

But Beach got the slightest of fingertips connected the shot to divert it onto the post, and Australia survived again.

Beach kept up his commanding signifier successful the 2nd half, turning a Guler escaped footwear wide for a country connected 57 minutes.

With Beach continuing to marque prevention aft save, Australia made the crippled harmless successful the 75th infinitesimal erstwhile Metcalfe picked the shot up successful midfield, precocious connected extremity and changeable location from 23 metres (25 yards).

“Unreal. It is simply a imagination travel true. We person got the triumph now,” said Irankunda, the youngest men’s World Cup scorer for Australia and not a definite starter earlier kickoff.

“It feels amazing. You person got to convey the staff, convey the nation. They person got the content successful me.”

Australia are playing successful their sixth consecutive World Cup and seventh overall.

The Socceroos fell to France successful the opener successful Qatar 4 years ago, but past bushed Tunisia and Denmark successful their radical earlier getting knocked retired by eventual champions Argentina successful the circular of 16.

It is the 3rd World Cup quality for Turkiye, who reached the tourney for the archetypal clip successful 1954.

The teams are successful Group D with the United States and Paraguay. The Americans thrashed Paraguay 4-1 successful their radical opener connected Friday successful Los Angeles.