AustraliavsTürkiye

Result

Heavy underdogs at BC Place, Australia produced a disciplined counter-attacking display to beat Türkiye 2-0 and open Group D with a win. Nestory Irankunda — at 20 years 125 days, Australia's youngest World Cup scorer — finished on the break in the 27th minute, and Connor Metcalfe added a low drive from distance in the 75th. Goalkeeper Patrick Beach, handed a surprise competitive debut in place of Mat Ryan, made eight saves — the most by any keeper in the tournament so far — as Türkiye dominated possession (72%) and piled up 30 shots without reward.

Australia 5-4-14-2-3-1 Türkiye

Australia

Türkiye

Nestory Irankunda27'

Connor Metcalfe75'

28%Possession72%

9Shots30

4On target8

8Saves2

5Corners8

201Passes completed635

74%Pass accuracy90%

15Tackles12

18Touches in box51

Substitutions

Nishan Velupillayfor Nestory Irankundaat 60'

Kenan Yıldızfor Barış Alper Yılmazat 45'

Tete Yengifor Mohamed Touréat 73'

Yunus Akgünfor Orkun Kökçüat 61'

Jason Geriafor Jacob Italianoat 73'

Salih Özcanfor İsmail Yüksekat 80'

Aziz Behichfor Jordy Bosat 83'

Mert Müldürfor Zeki Çelikat 80'

Jackson Irvinefor Paul Okon-Engstlerat 83'

Deniz Gülfor Kerem Aktürkoğluat 84'

At this Stage

One round in, Group D is led by the teams that took their chances rather than the one that created most. The USA top the table on goal difference after putting four past Paraguay; Australia sit level on three points after the night nobody scripted — heavy underdogs soaking up 30 shots and 72% possession and winning 2-0 regardless. That result is the early table's great oddity: Türkiye, dark horses back at a World Cup for the first time since 2002, sit third with nothing, above only a Paraguay side that shipped four. It's one game, and Türkiye's shot count argues the performance and the points will eventually reconcile — but tournaments are scored in goals, and Australia banked theirs.

Group D

Team	P	W	D	L	GD	Pts
USA	1	1	0	0	+3	3
Australia	1	1	0	0	+2	3
Türkiye	1	0	0	1	-2	0
Paraguay	1	0	0	1	-3	0

Top two (above the accent line) advance to the round of 32; the third-placed team is in the race for one of the eight best-third spots.

What we know now

What I said beforehand

The preview, frozen at kickoff. Clearly dated, never rewritten — that's the deal that makes the predictions worth anything.

Türkiye, but tighter than the talent gap suggests — and complicated by Kenan Yıldız's calf. Montella's side arrive on an eight-game unbeaten run with Arda Güler fully fit to pull the strings, and they carry the clearer match-winners. Australia, organized in a back five under Popovic and built on Souttar's aerial threat and Leckie's running, are exactly the kind of side that drags favourites into a scrap. Türkiye by a goal, 2–1, with Australia level into the second half.

Both cases written 2026-06-13, before kickoff — they freeze into the record exactly as written, however the match goes. The percentages are mine, quoted to a decimal because false precision is funnier — the unclaimed 29% belongs to the draw.