Young stars shine as clinical Australia stun Turkey in Group D opener
Goals from Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe secured a stunning 2-0 upset victory for Australia over Turkey in their opening match of the 2026 World Cup in Vancouver.
Socceroos coach Tony Popovic raised eyebrows before kick-off with a bold selection gamble, dropping veteran goalkeeper Mat Ryan for 22-year-old Patrick Beach. The Melbourne City shot-stopper had just two friendly caps but pulled off a man of the match performance to keep Real Madrid’s Arda Guler and the Turkey attack at bay.
Despite Turkey dominating possession early on, it was Australia who broke the deadlock in the 27th minute. Following a swift end-to-end attack, 21-year-old midfielder Paul Okon-Engstler lofted a superb ball over the top of the Turkish defence. Irankunda pounced on the pass, drove inside the penalty box, and slotted home a low finish before celebrating with a Tim Cahill-style corner flag tribute.
Turkey responded aggressively and outshot the Socceroos 30-9 across the match. They came incredibly close to equalising just three minutes later when Abdulkerim Bardakcı unleashed a powerful strike from distance, but Beach pulled off a spectacular fingertip save to tip the ball onto the post.
Vincenzo Montella’s side continued to probe in the second half, introducing Kenan Yildiz at the break to add spark. Arda Guler tested Beach with a curling free-kick in the 57th minute, but the young Australian keeper stood firm, racking up eight saves to keep a clean sheet.
The match was finally made safe in the 75th minute when Metcalfe capitalised on a turnover by Ismail Yuksek in midfield. The midfielder drove forward and smashed a brilliant 25-yard left-footed effort past Ugurcan Çakır to trigger wild celebrations among the traveling Australian fans.
The result leaves Australia level on three points with Group D leaders the USA ahead of their clash on June 19.
For Turkey, they may have already blown their chance of winning the group, but will be looking to bounce back against Paraguay in the early hours of June 20.
