Nestory Irankunda became Australia’s youngest-ever FIFA World Cup goalscorer as the Socceroos produced one of the early shocks of the FIFA 2026 World Cup with a 2-0 victory over Turkey in their Group D opener at BC Place.
Goals in either half from Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe secured a famous win for Tony Popovic’s youthful side, who entered the match as clear underdogs but delivered a disciplined and resilient performance to claim only Australia’s fifth World Cup victory.
The 20-year-old Irankunda opened the scoring with a moment of quality in the first half. Collecting a pass from Paul Okon-Engstler, the former Bayern Munich winger showed excellent control to cut inside before firing a low strike beyond the Turkish goalkeeper.
At 20 years and 125 days old, Irankunda eclipsed Brett Holman’s record as Australia’s youngest World Cup scorer. Holman had previously held the mark after scoring against Ghana at the 2010 World Cup at the age of 26 years and 84 days.
Australia’s victory was built on a standout display from goalkeeper Patrick Beach, who was handed a surprise competitive debut ahead of veteran Mat Ryan. The 22-year-old rose to the occasion with a string of outstanding saves, making eight stops, the most by any goalkeeper at the tournament so far. Related News New York Knicks crowned NBA champions after 53-Year drought ends Tax compliance key to sustaining FCT’s multi-billion-naira infrastructure push — Tinubu Defection: I am still a committed member of APC - Kolawole
