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Australia won Group D courtesy of goals from Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe.
Updated on 14 Jun 2026
Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe scored as Australia spoiled Turkey’s return to the World Cup first time in 24 years with a 2-0 victory.
Goalkeeper Patrick Beach made eight saves for the Socceroos in the group’s opener on Saturday night as FIFA president Gianni Infantino looked on in Vancouver, Canada.
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Australian coach Tony Popovic made a major shock in his starting line-up, dropping experienced captain and goalscorer Maty Ryan in favor of Beach, who won just his third cap.
Vice-captain Jackson Irvine was also left out of 21-year-old Paul Okon-Engstler’s 10-man World Cup squad.
The two decisions were boosted when Beach produced a couple of good saves to deny Turkiye, who dominated space but couldn’t find a way past the Australian player.
Okon-Engstler, meanwhile, helped set up the opening goal in the first half, unleashing a long ball that split the Turkish defense and set Irankunda on course to score.
The Turkiye – playing in the World Cup for the first time since finishing third in the 2002 tournament – arrived in North America dreaming of a big run in the knock-out game.
But their talented squad, made up mainly of players who regularly compete in the European Champions League, could not cope with a well-prepared Socceroos team.
One of the Turkiye’s best chances came in the 27th minute when Real Madrid’s Arda Guler forced a smart save from Beach with a mistimed shot.
But seconds later, Australia took the lead.
Beach picked out Okon-Engstler inside the Australian half, and the midfielder threw the ball to Irankunda.
The Australian champion still had a long way to go, but a smart first touch took him off the cover before he finished.
Irankunda celebrated by running to the edge of the pitch and pretending to hit the corner flag, mimicking former Australian captain Tim Cahill’s celebration.
Turkiye thought they had equalized three minutes later when Abdulkerim Bardakci’s header from outside the area raced towards goal.
But Beach got a little tip on the ball to deflect it off the post, and Australia survived again.
Beach maintained his form in the second half, turning Guler’s free kick into a corner in the 57th minute.
With Beach continuing to make save after save, Australia made the game safe in the 75th minute when Metcalfe picked up the ball in midfield, stepped forward and fired home from 23 meters (25 yards).
“Impossible. It’s a dream come true. We’ve won now,” said Irankunda, Australia’s youngest World Cup goalscorer and a surefire starter.
“It sounds amazing. You have to thank the staff, thank the country. They have faith in me.”
Australia are playing in their sixth consecutive World Cup and seventh overall.
The Socceroos fell to France in their opener in Qatar four years ago, but beat Tunisia and Denmark in their group stage before falling to eventual champions Argentina in the round of 16.
This is the third World Cup appearance for Turkey, who reached the tournament for the first time in 1954.
The teams are in Group D with the United States and Paraguay. The Americans defeated Paraguay 4-1 in their group opener on Friday in Los Angeles.
