Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe found the net as Australia defeated Türkiye, marking their return to the World Cup after 24 years, with a 2-0 victory on Saturday night.
This win positions Australia at the top of Group D alongside co-hosts the United States, ahead of their upcoming match in Seattle on Friday.
Goalkeeper Patrick Beach delivered an outstanding performance for the Socceroos, making eight saves while FIFA president Gianni Infantino observed. This marks Australia’s sixth consecutive World Cup appearance and the seventh in total.
Türkiye previously reached the semifinals of the 2002 World Cup but had missed five successive tournaments before qualifying this year by defeating Kosovo in a playoff.
Irankunda opened the scoring for the Socceroos in the 27th minute with a low shot while being closely pursued by three defenders, just after the first-half hydration break.
Jared C. Tilton – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images
Irankunda celebrated by punching the corner flag in honor of Australian soccer icon Tim Cahill, becoming the youngest Socceroo to score at a World Cup at just 20 years old.
Minutes later, Beach made a fantastic save against a powerful long-range shot from Abdulkerim Bardakcı. This decision to start Beach over veteran goalkeeper Matthew Ryan surprised many fans and experts alike.
Kenan Yildiz, a 21-year-old midfielder from Juventus, was brought on for Türkiye at halftime despite not being in the starting lineup.
In the 75th minute, Metcalfe seized on a mistake by Ismail Yüksek to double Australia’s lead. In their previous World Cup, Australia lost to France in the opening match but later defeated Tunisia and Denmark before being eliminated by eventual champions Argentina in the round of 16.
This marks Türkiye’s third appearance in the World Cup, having first entered the tournament in 1954.
Next, Türkiye is set to face Paraguay, who suffered a 4-1 defeat in their group opener on Friday in Los Angeles.
This report was contributed by The Associated Press.