The Australian national team achieved a surprise at the beginning of its journey in the finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, after beating its Turkish counterpart by two goals without reply, at dawn on Sunday, June 14, at the "BC Place" stadium, in the Canadian city of Vancouver, for the fourth group.
Australia opened the scoring in the 27th minute through Nestro Iranakunda with a right-hand shot from inside the box, taking advantage of a long pass from Paul Okun Engstler.
Italian coach Vincenzo Montella's battalion tried to modify the result, and Abdelkarim Bardakci almost equalized in the 30th minute with a powerful shot with his left from 25 yards, which the goalkeeper managed to block with his hand, but it hit the side post and bounced into the field.
In the second half, Turkey looked for a bigger attacking boost and brought on talented striker Kenan Yildiz – who had a leg problem – but almost conceded the second goal when Çakır narrowly cleared Harry Souttar's header.
Australian goalkeeper Patrick Beach made a brilliant save from a curling free-kick from Güler in the 57th minute, then kept another dangerous effort from Zeki Celik's shot in the 72nd minute away from a corner, at a time when Turkey tightened its siege on the outskirts of Australia.
But coach Tony Popovich's side decided the game by scoring the second goal in the 75th minute, when Ismael Joksic lost the ball in the middle of the field, to Conor Metcalfe, who stepped forward and shot a ground ball with his left from outside the box.
Turkey tried to come back in the final minutes of the match, but their attacks were unsuccessful, and Australia won for the second time in their opening seven World Cup matches.
Montella: Disappointing defeat
Vincenzo Montella, the head coach of the Turkish national team, expressed his sadness after the match , stressing that his team still has the chance to make up for it in the next two rounds.
Montella said in statements after the loss that the defeat was disappointing for the Turkish team, especially since it came at the beginning of the journey in Group D, pointing out that the players are required to take advantage of the mistakes that appeared during the match and work to address them quickly before the upcoming matches.
The Italian coach explained that the Australian team relied on an organized defensive style throughout the match, with a focus on quick counter-attacks, which gave the opponent the advantage in some crucial moments.
He added that the Australian team succeeded in exploiting its strengths in the best possible way, while Turkey's players were unable to translate the relative possession into real chances or goals.
Turkey tries to make amends on Saturday against Paraguay
With this result, Australia earned three points and placed them in second place on goal difference behind the United States, which won 4-1 against Paraguay, while Turkey's balance remained without points in third place.
Australia, who recorded their first win over a UEFA opponent since a 1-0 win over Denmark in November 2022, play the United States on Friday, while Turkey seeks to make amends against Paraguay on Saturday morning.
Today's Matches
The 2026 World Cup is witnessing a busy day with five matches in the opening round of the first round, three of which were played at dawn and Sunday morning, while two matches will be completed this evening.
Results recorded so far:
Morocco 1 – 1 Brazil
Scotland 1 – 0 Haiti
Australia 2 – 0 Turkey
Sunday Evening Matches (Mecca/Damascus Time):
Germany × Curaçao – 8:00 pm (Houston Stadium)
Netherlands × Japan – 11:00 p.m. (Dallas Stadium)
Today's matches will conclude with the meeting between Ivory Coast and Ecuador at 2:00 a.m. on Monday.
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