Irankunda Makes History As Australia Stun Turkiye 2-0 In FIFA WC Opener

Published 14 June 2026 · sports

Irankunda Makes History As Australia Stun Turkiye 2-0 In FIFA WC Opener Published By, Last Updated: June 14, 2026, 11:33 IST Nestory Irankunda became Australia's

Irankunda Makes History As Australia Stun Turkiye 2-0 In FIFA WC Opener Published By, Last Updated: June 14, 2026, 11:33 IST Nestory Irankunda became Australia's youngest World Cup scorer as the Socceroos beat Türkiye 2-0, with Connor Metcalfe sealing a hard-fought opening victory. Rapid Read Australia's Nestory Irankunda celebrates scoring the first goal against Turkey (AP) Australia made the perfect start to their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign, defeating Türkiye 2-0 in Vancouver in what was a pressure cooker of an encounter. In a match where Türkiye enjoyed long spells of possession and piled pressure on the Socceroos, Tony Popovic’s side combined defensive resilience with ruthless finishing to secure all three points in their opening Group fixture. Goals from rising star Nestory Irankunda and midfielder Connor Metcalfe ensured that the Socceroos never trailed.

First Half The breakthrough arrived in the 27th minute. Just moments after goalkeeper Patrick Beach produced a stunning save to deny Abdülkerim Bardakcı from long range, Australia launched a rapid counterattack. Mohamed Touré fed the ball to Paul Okon-Engstler, who spotted Irankunda’s run down the left flank. The perfectly weighted pass released the winger, who cut inside before drilling a brilliant finish into the near post. The goal made Irankunda, at just 20 years old, the youngest Australian goalscorer in FIFA World Cup history. Türkiye responded strongly and dominated possession for much of the remainder of the first half. Arda Güler came close from the edge of the area, while Australia’s compact defensive shape repeatedly frustrated the Turkish attack. Beach remained alert when called upon, and the Socceroos carried a 1-0 lead into the break.

Second Half The second half followed a similar pattern. Türkiye pushed forward aggressively, forcing Australia onto the back foot, but struggled to find a way past Harry Souttar and the Socceroos defence. Australia continued to threaten on the counter. Souttar tested goalkeeper Uğurcan Çakır with a powerful header, while Jordy Bos and Connor Metcalfe looked dangerous whenever space opened up. The decisive blow arrived late. After soaking up sustained pressure, Metcalfe unleashed a superb low strike from distance that flew into the bottom corner, stunning Türkiye and effectively sealing the result. The Socceroos then saw out the closing stages despite a brief injury concern involving Mohamed Touré and a plethora of Turkish attacks that yielded nothing. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit About the Author Siddarth Sriram After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas.