"Unbelievable" Australia progress to Round of 32 after goalless draw

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• Socceroos v Paraguay 0-0 FT

Australia are THROUGH to the Round of 32!

A cagey affair between the Socceroos and Paraguay ends goalless in Santa Clara - enough to secure second place in Group D for the Socceroos!

Australia progress to the knockouts for the second straight World Cup, the first time the Socceroos have done so consecutively in their history!

The final whistle has gone, it ends 0-0!

Tony Popovic and Jordan Bos post-game

Tony Popovic:

"Unbelievable. I'm so proud of everyone involved. The staff, the players, just a wonderful young group of men. Now we go to Dallas, and we will try to do something special. Thank you to everyone, amazing support today.

"I think the (shot) at the end was the first time I really looked at the clock and thought, please blow the whistle! I think overall, we deserved it. We were very good today, a wonderful performance."

How important is the extra break?

"It's important for us. These boys are building and they're trying to get fitter and stronger. The eight days gives us a chance to recover properly, get them all healthy, strong available and ready for the next challenge."

A message for home?

"Get up early, please. Thanks for the support - I heard a few things before the game, I saw all the sites back home. Trust me, it's greatly appreciated by all the boys and the staff. We cannot thank you enough!"

Jordan Bos

"I thought it was good from the boys. Obviously it was a bit of a hustle towards the end of the game, but we got the draw. Obviously, we wanted the win but we still qualified for the next round, so, very happy."

On his own performance:

"I didn't get the goal, but it was a decent performance overall."

A message for home?

"We're very appreciative of it knowing that we have all the support here. We've seen videos of back home and how everyone's getting around it and supporting us. We really feel it here - we're really happy with all of the support, it gets us through it."

Around the grounds, Turkiye have knocked off the US, winning 3-2 after a 98th minute winner!

Unfortunately, it means nothing for Turkiye, who crash out in last place.

USA and Australia progress, Paraguay likely through via third place spots!

FULL TIME!

90'+3: Patrick Beach makes a crucial save!

A turnover in the centre of the park finds its way to Mauricio, firing from the edge of the box and forcing Beach into a save!

On the other end, Tete Yengi found the ball inside the box and fired, saved by Gill!

Both sides sharing late shots on target.

90': Five minutes added on.

89': Jordy Bos with another SUPERB chance!

Squeezing between two, Bos charged down the right hand side and attempted to curl one into the far corner!

It just whizzes wide, and it remains 0-0 into added time!

84': Australia make changes once more.

Jackson Irvine is withdrawn after an excellent showing, replaced by Paul Okon-Engstler.

Tete Yengi has replaced Nestory Irankunda.

83': BIG CHANCE BOS

Charging down the right hand side, Bos picked up the loose ball, beat his defender and attempted to finish on his left... failing to truly connect with the ball.

It rolls to the keeper.

Australia's best chance.

82': Enciso causing problems once again! A shot blocked by Irvine finds its way back to the Paraguayan, this time dragging it wide.

Australia sitting deep, Paraguay throwing eveything at the Socceroos.

77': Diego Gomez sees yellow.

Cagey in Santa Clara. Neither side giving an inch.

With that yellow, Gomez will now miss the next match if Paraguay were to advance.

74': Paraguay are seeing the best of the play since the restart.

Julio Enciso is their biggest threat, continuing to drive at Australia's defence.

Socceroos standing tall.

69': HYDRATION BREAK

Drinks in Santa Clara as the game remains 0-0.

Paraguay clawing back, still neither side yet to break through.

20 mins remaining.

62': Irankunda with a hard foul on Omar Alderete.

The Sunderland defender landed awkwardly after being knocked on the way down from an aerial challenge.

Medicos are sorting treatment.

60': Nestory takes it on himself!

Jordy Bos beats the defence with a header over the top, finding Irankunda in space.

Driving towards goal, Nestory had a crack, spraying it well wide.

58': Cristian Volpato makes way for Ajdin Hrustic.

A stellar showing in Volpato's first start.

58': Alessandro Circati bodies Enciso straight into the advertisement board!

The Paraguayan is thankfully okay.

56': Enciso is Paraguay's dominant threat in this second half, but his teammates are yet to present the same threat.

Another dangerous run forward, finding a teammate... but the ball in from Caceres was poor.

54': A mix-up behind the ball and it's a nervous moment for Australia!

Enciso dribbled through the Aussie defence, deflecting towards Beach, however Behich knocked it back to the keeper on the way through, meaning Beach was unable to collect!

It was sent out for a Paraguay corner, amounting to little.

52': USA have made it 2-2, with Sebastian Berhalter finding the equaliser.

50': Mauricio forces Beach into his first save of the day.

A shot from range on the counter directed straight at the goalkeeper, who makes a comfortable save.

49': Nestory Irankunda goes down in the box, but it's a little too easy for the referee.

Contact was there, but no foul awarded.

48': Paraguay with a shot from range that flies wide.

47': Jackson Irvine is shown the first card of the game, seeing yellow after a late challenge on Julio Enciso.

46': The second half is underway!

Australia have had the better of the play in the first half.

Paraguay - not known for being dominant in possession - have clearly taken a back seat in this one, allowing Australia to bring the game forward in attempt to slot in behind.

However, the Aussies have defended sternly, with Lucas Herrington standing out as a force in his debut start.

Cristian Volpato, Nestory Irankunda and Jordy Bos have threatened exceptionally, with most of the play driving down Australia's right hand side.

HALF TIME!

The Socceroos maintain control in a cagey first half.

Goalless to start, it remains 0-0.

45'+3: Volpato ONCE AGAIN threatens down the right, combining with Bos who swings in a ball, headed over the bar by Irvine!

The right hand side has certainly caused Paraguay problems in the first half.

45'+2: Volpato with a BIG chance!

A great attack sparked by Jackson Irvine seed Volpato and Bos charge down the right hand side, with the winger firing off a shot!

Parried by Gill and away but a great build up.

45': Six minutes added on.

43': This game has been played between the two boxes, with very little attacking threat either side.

Australia with the best of the chances thus far but neither keeper has been overly busy.

36': Jordy Bos on target!

Lively out wide, he finds space outside the box and smacks one on his left boot, mopped up by Gill in net.

32': Elsewhere, Turkiye have taken a 2-1 lead over the USA!

Unfortunately due to head to head, the US have already confirmed top regardless of goal difference.

29': Plenty of blood pouring from Metcalfe's open wound.

Medicos are cleaning him up - he should be alright to continue.

28': Connor Metcalfe has gone down after copping a loose boot to the face.

Medicos are out, hopefully nothing too serious.

24': HYDRATION BREAK

Australia dominating but yet to break through.

0-0.

19': Jordy Bos FLIES down the right wing and sends in a testing ball to a dangerous area.

Cleared by the Paraguayan defence - all it needed was a foot!

17': Diego Gomez goes down hard after losing an air battle with Lucas Herrington.

Not much in it, but you'd think his head was ripped off.

11': Cristian Volpato is looking DANGEROUS out wide.

Takes the ball out wide, beats two on the dribble before being snuffed out by the last man.

10': Aiden O'Neill with a wayward shot,but it's positive for the Socceroos.

Much of the play in Paraguay's defensive half so far.

7': Socceroos are controlling possession, dominating the play early.

4': First shot Australia!

A bright start as Volpato finds Irvine for the shot inside the box, parried by keeper Gill!

Corner Aus.

0': We're underway!

Harper: The first quarter is CRUCIAL

"I think it's going to go down to the first quarter," Andy Harper told SEN's live call.

"Both teams are protecting this draw status - if Paraguay have designs on cracking Australia for the second place in the group, then that's going to happen in the first quarter.

"They are going to go for it then if they are going to go for it at all. Otherwise, I think they will be very caged."

Kick off in 30 minutes.

Tony Popovic pre-game

On selection:

"For this game, with everything that's gone on in the last couple of matches, it's a tournament - it's the biggest game that we need to play to get through, and this is the lineup we believe can set a good foundation."

On front three:

"They showed their quality last week. Cristian (Volpato) got some valuable minutes - he has trained really well this week.

"Nestor has looked really strong in training and Connor is the kind that we can always rely on. He looks like he's freshened up after last week."

On Lucas Herrington:

"I haven't asked him too much (on how he's feeling).

"He is a very cool, calm young man. Obviously I've got big wraps on him for the future, but I trust him enough to play such a crucial game.

"I'm sure he'll be fine."

On Cristian Volpato:

"He is a very relaxed young guy and he has a lot of belief, as does Lucas. He feels the trust from the staff and myself and the entire squad.

"I'm sure they'll play their best game today."

On the permutations of the game:

"Firstly, not going for a draw. I think that's important, we haven't spoken about that as a group.

"It's about winning the game, and if we have that mindset, we give ourselves a good chance."

Message for home:

"Thank you, thank you for the wonderful support. We know what's happening back home and we are well aware of the support we are getting from school kids, to mums and dads, to boys and girls.

"We feel their presence, we feel their support, and we want to make them proud today."

What Sweden result means for Australia

In an ideal world, Japan would have earned all three points to down Sweden in Group F.

However, that was not the case, with the two sides splitting the points with a 1-1 draw in Dallas.

With that result, Sweden finish third in Group F with four points and an even 0 goal difference.

They now share top spot with Ecuador in terms of third place qualification and are confirmed to go through to the Round of 32.

The result pushes Paraguay down to seventh as they stand. If the Socceroos lose today, even by just one goal, Australia will find themselves in sixth, with Belgium, Senegal and DR Congo all below and expected to win/draw.

This essentially means that a loss today, and Australia are more than likely out of the World Cup.

For reference, only the top eight advance - A result is required - bare minimum.

THE LINEUPS ARE IN!

Tony Popovic has made his selection for the Socceroos' final group stage match against Paraguay.

Connor Metcalfe and Nestory Irankunda have been recalled after their goals against Turkiye, with young stars Lucas Herrington and Cristian Volpato rewarded with their first starts at the World Cup.

Aziz Behich replaces the injured Jacob Italiano, while Jackson Irvine steps into midfield for Paul Okon-Engstler.

Patrick Beach holds his place in net, with Harry Souttar set to captain the side.

Australia XI:

GK: P.Beach
DEF: J.Bos | L.Herrington | H.Souttar | A.Circati | A.Behich
MID: A.O'Neill | J.Irvine
ATT: C.Volpato | N.Irankunda | C.Metcalfe

Paraguay XI:

GK: O.Gill
DEF: J.Caceres | G.Velazquez | G.Gomez | O.Alderete | A.Maidana
MID: D.Gomez | M.Galarza | A.Cubas | J.Enciso
ATT: G.Avalos

The game kicks off at 12pm AEST!

WHAT AUSTRALIA NEEDS TODAY

It’s getting a little more tense for Australia fans.

Ecuador’s stunning victory over Germany not to mention South Africa’s shock result against South Korea means that defeat to Paraguay is too risky for Australia to claim a best placed third spot.

Win or draw today, the Socceroos progress in second place in the group. That’s straight forward.

Defeat means a very nervous 48 hours.

The equation remains simple – a draw will guarantee progression to the knockout stage.

Ecuador’s insane win over Germany cuts Australia’s chance of a third place Round 32 spot to 66 per cent.

According to Fox labs, a 1-0 loss to Paraguay would put Australia in the middle of the pack with only eight of the 12 teams staying alive.

AS THINGS STAND FOR THIRD PACE QUALIFY SPOT

1. Sweden: 4pts, 0GD (three games)
2. Ecuador: 4pts, 0GD (three games)
3. Bosnia and Herzegovina: 4pts, -1GD (three games)
4. Croatia: 3pts, -1GD (two games)
5. South Korea: 3pts, -1GD (three games)
6. Algeria: 3pts, -2GD (two games)
7. Paraguay: 3pts, -2GD (two games)
8. Scotland: 3pts, -3GD (three games)

NEXT BEST

9 - Cabo Verde: 2pts, 0GD (two games)
10 - Belgium: 2pts, 0GD (two games)
11 - DR Congo: 1pt, -1GD (two games)
12 - Senegal: 0pts, -3GD (two games)

MINISTER OF DEFENCE

Having a giant mural of yourself painted alongside one of AFL star Dustin Martin is a fairly decent bragging right wouldn't you say?

Well meet Harry Souttar, "Minister of Defence" - a mural painted on the Rowena Parade walls next to Dusty in the heart of Richmond.

Harry is no stranger to World Cups and has been a part of the Socceroos team since 2019, and he is defying age to prove his worth this time around again.

The Souttar's name brings with it one of the more unique stories of the World Cup with Harry's brother John also playing but for a different country.

John is part of the history making Scottish side which qualified for the first time in 28 years.

Melbourne artist Rory Lynch Wells has painted the mural, which will be unveiled today, in partnership with Mizuno. And there'll be free coffees at the Rowena Corner Store, 44 Rowena Parade, Richmond from 8am-11am

Italiano out for Socceroos: What will Popovic do?

The Socceroos will enter their final group stage match without fullback Jacob Italiano and veteran Mathew Leckie.

After starting both of Australia’s group games, Italiano is set to miss out on the Paraguay showdown with an injury sustained during training.

Tony Popovic confirmed the news ahead of the team’s final group match on Friday 12pm (AEST).

“Jacob, unfortunately, won’t be available,” Popovic said.

“I think it’s an adductor injury. We don’t know the extent of it as yet. We’ll do some further tests in the coming days, but he won’t available for this game.”

It’s a big void to fill for Popovic given Italiano has become an automatic first choice right wing-back, but for SEN’s Archie Thompson, Jason Geria or Kai Trewin are the candidates to step in if there is a reshuffle in the mid or defensive line-up.

“I know maybe in the past he has put Trewin out on the right-hand side,” Thompson said. “We’re not used to him there, he is more central mid. That could be an option or Jason Geria on the right.

“With speed and athleticism I would go Geria. It’s a hard one; Italiano has been fantastic in that position. That is the better option.

“It will be interesting to see if Popovic rejigs the central defensive trio and we have to remember most of the back four are on yellow cards, they have been more involved than anyone the way we sit back and defend.

“They will have that one their minds though. It will be a shame if we miss one of them if we reach the knockouts.”

Leckie has been sidelined with a hamstring issue.

Should anyone already on a yellow card receive another one against Paraguay they would miss the next round, however, under FIFA’s new rules for 2026, all cards will be wiped going into the knock-out stages.

Harry Souttar, Alessandro Circati, Jordy Bos and Italiano all received yellow cards against the USA.

Australia will progress to the last 32 automatically with a win or draw against Paraguay. Even a loss could see them through but would be dependant on the best third placed ranked team criteria.

But for now the focus in camp is solely on their next game.

“They are important. I think they’re part of the puzzle that we’re always trying to fill,” Popovic said.

“And I think overall we’ve had three very good halves of football. We had one bad half of football and we got punished for that. And that’s the World Cup and that’s the detail of the World Cup.

“They play an important part like so many relationships that we are trying to build on the field.”