Nestory Irankunda breaking out a rhinestone glove and performing a crotch-grabbing Michael Jackson tribute after scoring for the Socceroos was the perfect celebratory note for the team’s final match on home soil before the World Cup, but now the tension ramps up for players and coach Tony Popovic ahead of the finals.
Having swept aside fellow finalists Curacao 5-1 in Melbourne, the Socceroos face one more assignment, against Mexico on May 31, before Popovic must cull his squad to 26 players two days later.
Players desperate to make a final push to convince ‘Popa’ they belong at the finals — starting for Australia against Türkiye on June 14 — will also get the chance to impress at an extended squad camp in Florida leading into the Mexico clash.
“If you finished in early May and you’re on the fringes, it’s an opportunity for us to see you and train you for two weeks. And in football, things can change very quickly. That player may go from not having an opportunity to make the World Cup to actually being in the squad,” said Popovic.
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After a dour first half in Melbourne on Tuesday night, Popovic released the shackles on 66 minutes, introducing Irankunda and Jordy Bos. Both got on the scoresheet, as did Alessandro Circati, three breakout stars of his tenure making a massive impact.
At a time when the Socceroos’ public standing seems to have slipped slightly, with claims they are boring and lack star quality, Irankunda’s big leap forward is a massive boost for those responsible for selling the national team to the Australian public.
His box office backflips have put a significant spring in the step of the Socceroos, often lamented as too defensive and dull under Popovic, who is coaxing the best out of the 20-year-old Watford livewire.
“He’s a young man who’s just growing in maturity, not just on the field, but I think off the field,” Popovic said of a player who has had several behavioural issues.
“And you can see … when his mind is clear, he wants to contribute, whether that’s a start, whether it’s coming on, whether that’s coming on for one minute.
“And that’s progression, because maybe in October, November, his mind wasn’t so clear. It’s normal. He’s young, he’s 20 years old. He’s a wonderful talent.”
He’s also a wonderful personality.
“I am a huge MJ fan,” Irankunda laughed after his dance.
“Obviously you always want to back yourself to score. Me and my boy talked about it and he just threw it and I had to catch it, threw it on and did the celebration.”
Irankunda’s place in the final 26 should be assured, but there are several places that are wide open.
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None of the World Cup hopefuls can say they haven’t been given a chance by Popovic. In 16 matches he’s introduced 15 newcomers to the team, and given fresh hope to others, such as Awer Mabil, who started for the first time since 2023 against Curacao and rewarded his boss with the opening goal on Tuesday.
Popovic will keep a close eye on the form and fitness of his possibles and probables as they return to club football before meeting up at the end of their domestic seasons for a tough clash with the World Cup co-host.
His simple message post-game was “stay healthy. That’s what we want. We know this period is very busy, especially in Europe.
“A lot of the boys will go back and play two games over this weekend, so it’s a tough schedule. They’ve got a big carrot, the World Cup. I know they’re excited, they’ve loved the camp.”
And while he will have a core locked in, fitness pending, there are still some spots up for grabs, and plenty of potential hard luck yarns.
“There’s always a story of somebody missing out, somebody who’s been involved for a long time,” said former Socceroos defender Sasa Ognenovski on the Paramount Plus coverage on Tuesday.
“Harry Souttar, is he back playing football week in, week out? He might be the unlucky one. He helped us get there, but sometimes there are those sad stories.”
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Goalkeepers: Mat Ryan, Joe Gauci, Paul Izzo.
Skipper Mat Ryan remains the undisputed No.1, backed by strong La Liga form with Levante where his shot-stopping numbers rank highly. Joe Gauci has forced his way into the team at Port Vale, and after playing in a Carabao Cup tie against Arsenal recently, he is expected to line up in a mouth-watering FA Cup quarterfinal against Chelsea on Sunday. The third spot is a coin flip between Paul Izzo and Patrick Beach, both of whom backed up Ryan in the games against Curacao and Cameroon.
Defenders: Jordy Bos, Aziz Behich, Alessandro Circati, Cameron Burgess, Kai Trewin, Kye Rowles, Miloš Degenek, Lucas Herrington, Jacob Italiano.
Jordy Bos has cemented himself as first-choice left-back and he’s a proven goal threat, coming up with the goods again with the winner against Cameroon. Aziz Behich provides experienced cover.
On the right, the exciting youngster Jacob Italiano shapes as a likely wing-back inclusion, especially with Fran Karacic seemingly locked in a never-ending battle with injury and Lewis Miller having suffered an Achilles injury that has ruled him out of the finals.
Alessandro Circati and Cameron Burgess anchor the defence, with depth coming from Kye Rowles, Miloš Degenek and emerging options like Kai Trewin, who has impressed in the MLS, and Lucas Herrington.
The fitness of Harry Souttar looms as the key variable. He’s yet to play this season due to injury and is running out of time, although you wouldn’t be shocked to see Popovic give him every chance of getting his big frame out on the park.
Herrington has provided food for thought, with his sparkling debut against Cameroon, although he received a quick lesson on the big time from Curacao’s former Aston Villa man Leandro Bacuna on Tuesday.
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Central midfielders: Jackson Irvine, Connor Metcalfe, Patrick Yazbek, Aiden O’Neill, Paul Okon-Engstler, Alex Robertson, Ajdin Hrustić
Jackson Irvine, who has just returned after injury but was rested from this window, and Aiden O’Neill form the experienced core, with Ajdin Hrustić bringing creativity in advanced areas and also an option out wide. Patrick Yazbek, Max Balard (left out of this series) and Paul Okon-Engstler are pushing for inclusion, while Alex Robertson adds technical quality and has added goals for Cardiff in League One this season. Roles remain fluid and the competition is intense for the final midfield spots.
Forwards/wingers: Riley McGree, Nestory Irankunda, Awer Mabil, Martin Boyle, Deni Juric, Mo Toure, Mitchell Duke.
Popovic has options in attack, but are any of them good enough to fire Australia into the second stage of the tournament?
There could be a lot riding on the young shoulders of Irankunda, who has demonstrated growth in his game over the past year.
Popovic has urged Irankunda, whose long-range free-kick bombs for Watford have lit up social media, to get closer to goal before unleashing his powerful shot, and the player delivered twice against Curacao.
“We’ve had conversations in the last few months. He’s just trying to help me become a better player. As you can see tonight as well, he’s helped me during the week to get in positions like that to score more goals,” said Irankunda.
“I just want to score more goals, just build and become a better player, because it’s such a short period of time until it’s time for the World Cup. I want to be in the best shape to go and compete for the country.”
Irankunda’s mentor, Awer Mabil, was another positive from the 5-1 thrashing, scoring the opener after a long absence.
Mabil might just have done enough to force his way into the World Cup squad, and Popovic shared a quick word with him on the pitch at full-time.
“We just spoke a little bit about the game and he just encouraged me to keep going, keep working hard. When I get back to my club, keep pushing and yeah, we’ll see,” said Mabil.
“This, I told him, is a big motivation for me to be here and I will go back and I will work double, so it was really nice to hear.
“It’s just energy, everything is energy and what I’ve taken from this camp is positivity and a target now, something to work towards, so I’m very happy to be here and I’ve got a lot of energy to get back to my club.”
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Popovic, who left out Mitchell Duke from the past two games, should be delighted with the arrival of Deni Juric, brother of Asian Cup winner Tomi. The striker’s deft backheel nutmeg set up Mabil’s first-half goal and on one occasion he showed superb close control to break open the Curacao defence.
And Popovic will be keen to see how Mo Toure responds on his return from a groin injury in Norwich’s Good Friday match against Portsmouth.
The 22-year-old was in stellar form before the setback, netting five times in five matches.
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