Australia secured victory in Group D with goals from Nestly Ilankunda and Conor Metcalfe.
Published June 14, 2026
Nestry Ilankunda and Conor Metcalfe scored as Australia spoiled Tolkier’s first World Cup return in 24 years with a 2-0 win.
Goalkeeper Patrick Beach made eight saves in the Socceroos’ group opener on Saturday night in Vancouver, Canada, with FIFA president Gianni Infantino in attendance.
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Australian manager Tony Popovich removed experienced captain and goalkeeper Matty Ryan and replaced Veach with a major shock to the starting XI, earning him only his third cap.
Vice-captain Jackson Irvin was also left out of the starting lineup, which featured 10 players making their World Cup debut, in favor of 21-year-old midfielder Paul Ocon-Engstler.
Both choices proved inspired as Beach made a series of fine saves to thwart Tolkier. Tolkier dominated possession and territory but could not find a way past the Australian goalkeeper.
Meanwhile, Ocon-Engstler was instrumental in creating the opening goal in the first half, firing a long ball that cut through the Turkish defense and allowed Ilankunda to dive into the goal and score.
Tolkier, who was playing in his first World Cup since finishing third in 2002, arrived in North America with dreams of making it to the finals.
However, the talented team, which is mainly made up of players who regularly participate in the European Champions League, could not successfully cope with the well-organized Socceroos line-up.
One of Tolkier’s best chances came in the 27th minute, when Real Madrid’s Arda Güler forced a smart save from Beech with a sharp shot.
However, just seconds after that chance, Australia took the lead.
Beach picked up Ocon-Engstler deep in Australia’s half and the midfielder fed the ball upfield for Irankunda.
The Australian winger still had a lot of work to do, but with a smart first touch he evaded the covering defense and finished low.
Irankunda imitated former Australia captain Tim Cahill’s characteristic goal celebration and celebrated by sprinting to the edge of the pitch and pretending to raise the corner flag.
Turkiye thought they had equalized three minutes later when Abdulkerim Bardakçi darted a piledriver towards goal from outside the area.
But Australia were saved once again when Beech touched the ball with his fingertips and hit the post.
Beach continued their good form in the second half, converting Guler’s free kick wide of the target in the 57th minute for a corner kick.
Australia made the match safe in the 75th minute as Beech continued to make save after save, allowing Metcalf to pick up the ball in midfield, advance to the goal, and fire a shot from 23 meters (25 yards) out.
“It’s unbelievable. It’s a dream come true. This is a win,” Ilankunda, Australia’s youngest World Cup scorer and not a definitive starter, said before kick-off.
“It feels great. I have to thank the staff and the people. They have faith in me.”
This will be Australia’s sixth consecutive World Cup appearance and seventh overall.
The Socceroos lost to France in their opening game in Qatar four years ago, but beat Tunisia and Denmark in the group stages before being eliminated in the round of 16 by eventual champions Argentina.
This will be Tolkier’s third World Cup appearance, having first played in 1954.
Both teams are in Group D with the United States and Paraguay. The Americans defeated Paraguay 4-1 in their group opener in Los Angeles on Friday.
