Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe have scored as Australia have spoiled Turkiye’s return to the World Cup for the first time in 24 years with a 2-0 victory.
Goalkeeper Patrick Beach made eight saves for the Socceroos in their group opener on Saturday night as FIFA President Gianni Infantino looked on in Vancouver, Canada.
Boy wonder Nestory Irankunda was the man who delivered a dream start, expertly finding the net in the first half to bring a strong contingent of Aussie fans to their feet inside the stadium and back home at live sites.
Tony Popovic sprung a major surprise pre-match when he selected Paul Okon-Engstler over vice-captain Jackson Irvine and Patrick Beach instead of captain Mat Ryan, but he was justified in the first half.
Okon-Engstler was the man who put a delicious pass over the top of Türkiye’s defence for Irankunda to run through and expertly put the ball into the bottom left corner.
