Socceroos coach Tony Popovic has called for his side to play with more “confidence and belief” but is no certainty to back his most dynamic young talents from the start in their second friendly against New Zealand.
Australia had trouble breaking down New Zealand in the first match of the “Soccer Ashes” double-header until injecting the youthful energy of substitutes Nestory Irankunda, Mohamed Toure and Max Balard in Canberra on Friday night.
Balard scored the winner within two minutes of coming on for his Socceroos debut after Toure picked out the 24-year-old in the penalty box and he lashed home the game’s only goal in the 87th minute.
“The point of this exercise was to bring young, talented, potential players for the future and see where they fit in,” Popovic said. “We’ll be happy either way. We have learnt a lot about them regardless of who gets minutes in this game.
“The indications were really good from the players when they came on. The first few touches were positive, that helped the team.
“The game was already a little bit stretched. We were playing better at that stage. I thought it would fit in well for them all to come on, and Toure really made a difference when he came on with his physicality.”
The long-term combination of Irankunda and Toure is a mouth-watering prospect for the Socceroos as the duo begin to build a connection on the field to go with their bond away from game.
Toure is the older of the pair at 21 years of age while Irankunda is only 19, but they became close friends while growing up in Adelaide before both continuing their football journeys overseas.
“They’ve got a really good, close bond off the field, which I didn’t know prior to camp,” Popovic said. “I see the two of them always together and always in each other’s company. So that’s already a bond off the field.
“The time that they had together on the field, you could see that they’re trying to link up together and trying to combine. That’s maybe something we can see for the future, depending on how they progress.”
Popovic has refused to hand full-international debuts to players tied to multiple countries in part to lock in their commitment.
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The 52-year-old is prepared to take a similarly hard line approach with established players who helped the Socceroos qualify for the 2026 World Cup but now must earn back their spot.
No players from the out-of-season A-League Men, including Aziz Behich, have been included in the current squad, while Japan-based Mitch Duke and Jason Geria were both overlooked.
Jackson Irvine and luckless midfielder Riley McGree are both on the comeback trail from injury, while skipper Mat Ryan was left out to focus on making his mark at new club Levante.
“That doesn’t guarantee your World Cup spot,” Popovic said of the players who helped Australia secure a sport for the tournament in North America.
“It certainly guarantees your recognition and going down in history for what you did in the qualifiers. But now you need to keep performing.
“You need to keep playing well to get on that plane to go to the World Cup. The young boys have as much of an opportunity as the senior players.”
