Carlo Ancelotti dazzled by Sporting gem: He has bags of talent | OneFootball

Nestory Irankunda was one of the standout performers in the draw between Australia and Brazil (1-1), opening the scoring with a brilliant direct free-kick goal. The 20-year-old Sporting winger impressed against Carlo Ancelotti’s side and ended up receiving praise from the experienced coach.

The player gave the Australians the lead with a precisely taken direct free kick, in a moment that did not go unnoticed by the Brazil manager. Ancelotti acknowledged the quality of the Sporting player’s strike and admitted that the team already knew about his abilities before the friendly.

"They defended very well. They use the counterattack. We were well positioned. We conceded from a set piece, but that can happen because Irankunda strikes the ball very well. We already knew he has a lot of talent, he is doing very well in Europe," Carlo Ancelotti said.

The coach ultimately played down the result of the match: "It doesn’t feel like a defeat because it was a draw. I think the team could have won, we had chances. It was difficult to play on this pitch, it’s true that after we conceded the team reacted. In the end, it was a fair draw, we have to be patient because these are tests we have to carry out to give opportunities to the players who play less," he argued.

Irankunda’s performance therefore becomes even more significant for having come against Brazil and in front of a coach with Ancelotti’s experience. The Australia international, who arrived at Sporting this summer, responded in the best possible way on the international stage and scored his seventh goal for the national team in 20 matches.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.