Australia surprises Turkey with a 2-0 victory.

Australia defeated Turkey 2-0 on Saturday in Vancouver with beautiful goals from Nestor Irankonda and Connor Metcalfe, in a relatively unexpected victory in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Australia joined the United States, one of the tournament's prominent host nations, at the top of Group D, after the latter had started its campaign with a big win over Paraguay (4-1) on Friday in Los Angeles.

Rising goalkeeper Patrick Beach shone with his crucial saves, contributing to a significant Australian victory in front of 52,000 spectators at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver.

Coach Tony Popovic caused a major shock in his starting lineup by keeping veteran captain and goalkeeper Mat Ryan on the bench, preferring Beach, who was only playing his third international match.

He also excluded vice-captain Jackson Irvine, relying on 21-year-old midfielder Paul Okon-Ingstler in a lineup that included ten players making their World Cup debut.

These choices proved to be correct, as Beach denied several dangerous chances, preventing Turkey from scoring despite their ball possession, while Okon-Ingstler played a crucial role in the first goal during the first half, with a precise long pass that split the Turkish defense and set Irankonda up for a one-on-one with the goal.

Turkey, participating in the World Cup for the first time since finishing third in the 2002 edition, came to North America with high hopes of going far in the knockout stages.

However, their talented team, mostly composed of players active in Europe and regularly participating in the Champions League, failed to cope with the solid organization of the Socceroos.

Turkish player Arda Güler, from Real Madrid, nearly opened the scoring in the 27th minute, forcing Beach to make a save from a powerful shot.

But just seconds later, Australia took the lead.

From deep in his own half, Beach passed the ball to Okon-Ingstler, who then launched a long pass towards Irankonda.

Although the Australian winger had a lot to do to finish the attack, his clever first touch gave him the advantage over the defense before he slotted the ball into the net with a low shot.

Irankonda celebrated the goal by running towards the corner flag and pretending to punch it, mimicking the famous celebration of former Australian captain Tim Cahill.