Australia beat Türkiye 2-0 in their World Cup Group D opener at BC Place in Vancouver. Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe scored. Coach Vincenzo Montella conceded his side could not convert their chances.
Australia beat Türkiye 2-0 in their World Cup Group D opener at BC Place in Vancouver. Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe scored. Coach Vincenzo Montella conceded his side could not convert their chances.
Australia struck first in the 27th minute. Paul Okon-Engstler clipped a long pass into the left channel, Nestory Irankunda controlled it, beat Merih Demiral, and finished past Ugurcan Cakir. The goal arrived 17 seconds after Patrick Beach had saved from Arda Güler at the other end.
Türkiye pushed forward, hit the woodwork, and created chances, but could not level. Connor Metcalfe doubled the lead in the 75th minute, punishing an Ismail Yüksek giveaway with a finish past Cakir.
Vincenzo Montella accepted his team had not executed their plan, while insisting the performance gave him grounds for optimism. The Türkiye coach said his players knew what to expect from the Socceroos.
"The game didn't go unexpectedly in tactical terms. We knew they would stay back and wait. They also used counterattacks. We conceded two goals, and we are very sorry," Montella said.
He pointed to his side's failure to take their chances against a physically imposing defence, and braced for scrutiny back home. "When you lose a football match, you must be prepared to accept any criticism, even if you feel that some of it is fundamentally unfair," he added.
There was no such frustration in the Australia camp. Okon-Engstler, a 21-year-old, handed a surprise start, set up the opener, and described it as the highlight of his career so far.
"I know Nestor's capabilities and his strengths," Okon-Engstler told reporters of the assist, adding that the move had been drilled all week. "He's running in behind with his speed."
Türkiye's numbers framed the night. They took 30 shots and still came away with nothing, repelled by blocks, the post, and Beach's eight saves. Güler led all players with eight efforts and 105 touches, yet the breakthrough never came.
It was Türkiye's return to the World Cup after a 24-year absence. They last appeared in 2002, when they reached the semi-finals, before missing five straight tournaments and qualifying this time through a play-off win over Kosovo.
The defeat leaves them with work to do in Group D. Australia, who named 10 debutants, sit level on points with the United States, who beat Paraguay 4-1 in the group's other opening fixture.
Montella said his squad's spirit left him confident of a turnaround. "We reflected the team spirit on the pitch and played with heart. If we continue like this, we will start getting the results we want. We will do better in the next match," he said.
Türkiye plays Paraguay on 20 June before closing their group campaign against the United States on 26 June. Australia will meet the co-hosts in Seattle on Friday.
