Irankunda Earns Triumph for the Socceroos in Intense Exhibition Clash with Canada

Emerging talent Nestory Irankunda found the back of the net for the consecutive fixture in a row, while goalkeeper Paul Izzo delivered a stellar performance to guide the Socceroos to a hard-fought 1-0 result over Canada.

Fixture Summary

After a uneventful first half dominated by the hosts, the Socceroos came to life with the arrival of second-half substitutes Jordy Bos, Lewis Miller, and Patrick Yazbek. It was Irankunda who broke the deadlock in the second half.

Keeper Paul Izzo, starting ahead of captain Maty Ryan, produced several saves, including a world-class effort to deny Jacob Shaffelburg in the 90th minute, securing Australia's seventh-straight win.

NESTORY IRANKUNDA SCORES AUSTRALIA IN FRONT IN CANADA! 🔥

🇨🇦 0 - 1 🇦🇺

Notable Actions

• In the early stages, Tajon Buchanan burst into the box, but captain Alessandro Circati made a perfectly timed challenge to clear the threat.
• Eight minutes later, Irankunda beat multiple defenders and passed to Max Balard, whose shot was deflected.
• During the first half, the Australians struggled to maintain the ball, with Buchanan causing problems on the wing.
• Even with pressure from the hosts, the disciplined Socceroos defense stood strong, limiting opportunities before the halftime.

Second Half Turnaround

Two minutes into the second period, Irankunda embarked on a impressive dribble, beating Derek Cornelius and firing the ball toward the goal, where Mohamed Toure missed his attempt.

Substitutions in the 57th minute injected instant impact, with Irankunda capitalizing on a poor clearance and setting up Toure, who fired wide.

Soon after, Miller delivered a lovely ball to Yazbek, who flicked toward Circati, but the skipper blasted high.

During the closing stages, following a pinball situation in the defensive area, the Australians cleared the danger.

Winning Goal

Moments later, Connor Metcalfe sent Toure on the wing, and the forward cut the ball back into a promising zone.

As a opposition defender hesitated, Irankunda sneaked in from the unmarked position to score his third international goal.

Final Action

Despite unable to add a second goal, the Socceroos were saved by Izzo's last-minute saves.

Emotions flared in stoppage time, resulting in Irankunda getting a booking and taken off amid a scuffle.

During a heated final few minutes, the Australian defense and Izzo stood their ground to seal the win.

Looking Ahead

With now qualified for the upcoming World Cup, the Socceroos are intensifying their preparation with warm-up matches against North American opponents and the USA, with a fixture scheduled in Colorado on Wednesday.