Australia Rebuffs Turkish Onslaught; Wins Match | OneFootball

Can someone please tell me where in the heck this Australia team came from?

Moments after the Socceroos pulled the second, and arguably greater, shock of the day’s fixtures, defeating Türkiye 2 goals to nil, I found myself asking this fundamental question.

And not to take away from the eleven starters (and five substitutes) who ran, defended, shouted and sweat across the BC Place pitch, the answer is: Tony Popovic.

Mere days after the Australian camp announced head coach Popovic’s contract extension, the skipper revealed why he was worth it in three big ways.

Roster Change & Faith in Youth

When the starting XI was released, pundits immediately began chattering. Longtime team captain and goalkeeper Mathew Ryan was out; 22 year-old Melbourne City keeper Patrick Beach was in. Ryan would’ve earned his 105th cap. Tonight was Beach’s third. That’s a three (3).

Over the next 90 minutes (plus stoppage), Patrick Beach proved his gaffer to be a verifiable genius. He made save after save, recording eight in total to deny the Turks, earn a clean sheet and secure his side’s three points.

The armband was comfortably worn by Leicester’s Harry Souttar, who at 37 caps was the most experienced player on the pitch. The average number of caps for the eleven was 20.7.

Formation Change

Popovic usually favors a 3-4-2-1 set-up, but against a team as offensively potent as Türkiye, he instead deployed a 5-4-1. The Turks sent wave after wave against that stubborn low block, only to be rebuffed again and again. Clearly, the team was bought into this tactical change. They dug in, and when countering did so ruthlessly and with lightning speed.

Effective In-Match Coaching (Especially Hydration Breaks)

The announcers noticed in the first hydration break, Popovic spoke to two people: lone striker Mohamed Touré and winger Nestory Irankunda. He ignored the defenders and other midfielders. Is it any coincidence that less than a minute later, Irankunda made the blazing run and stone-cold finish to give Australia the lead? I think not. Incidentally, a quick-thinking pass from Beach started that counter.

All his substitutions filled very specific needs, and were mainly targeted at keeping the increasingly desperate Turks at bay. But he didn’t simply retreat park the bus. In fact, the second goal was a direct consequence of a midfield press forcing a turnover from Ismail Yüksek. Connor Metcalfe took the ball, drove forward, made a move and fired low and hard into the bottom right corner.

How this Impacts Group D

With this result, the entire trajectory of Group D is tossed arse over tit. Türkiye, the favorite, is now playing back-up. I pity Paraguay, who will be the sole focus of their retribution. The group leaders, Australia and the United States, will meet in Seattle in six days with the top spot on the line. That will be a magic fixture.