Multiple Authors
VANCOUVER — Informed that he would be the surprise starter in Australia’s FIFA World Cup opening 2-0 win over Türkiye “a couple of days ago”, Patrick Beach has paid tribute to the Socceroos goalkeeping union in preparing him for the world stage.
Widely expected by external observers to serve as the third-choice keeper at the coming tournament, Beach, 22, was one of the main selection shocks coach Tony Popovic sprung ahead of Australia’s clash with Türkiye, preferred by the coach in place of longstanding number one Mathew Ryan.
In addition to serving as the side’s captain, Ryan had started Australia’s last ten games at the World Cup, part of his 104 total appearances for his nation, and came into this month having played a key role in helping Levante avoid the drop from La Liga. Beach, in contrast, had been amongst the side’s best in his two previous international appearances, but neither had come in a competitive fixture.
“I’m not going to go into when I delivered that news,” Popovic said when asked about Ryan in his post-game press conference. “That’s between the coach and player. Maty, he’s a super professional, over 100 caps for his country, and he conducted himself as I expected — as a leader, as a top player.”
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“[The big selection calls] were maybe shocks for a lot of people, but not shocks within our playing group or staff. Because we’re all working together every day, and we can see the quality of these young boys.”
And Beach more than justified his selection as he made eight saves across the 90 minutes, the most a Socceroo goalkeeper has ever made at a World Cup, and kept the likes of Arda Güler and Kerem Aktürkoglu at bay in what, to many, would have been considered a man-of-the-match performance.
Patrick Beach celebrates Australia’s 2-0 victory. Photo by Jared C. Tilton – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images
It formed part of a Herculean defensive effort in which the Australians faced and saw off 30 shots overall, the most that any team that has gone on to win a World Cup fixture has absorbed, per Opta, since Portugal beat England in 2006.
“A couple of days ago the boss and keeper coach [Juric] pulled me aside and told me that I’d be playing,” Beach said. “[They said] that I’d been performing really well, they have confidence in me, and that gave me all the confidence I needed to get out there and do my job tonight.
“Maty [Ryan] and Paulie [Paul Izzo] both have been really great for me; great goalkeepers, great guys. They’ve given me a lot of support. They had some chats to me before the game, and were very calm, relaxed, and they just said, enjoy it out there, have fun, good luck, and go do what you do, everyone knows what you can do.
“Maty and Paulie have been excellent. All three of us have been pushing each other for the last four or five weeks, relentlessly every week, so the goalkeeper union is very strong.
“It was amazing. It was amazing. This is a dream come true… this is all you think about as a kid. This is the pinnacle for all to play for your country on the world stage, and to get a result, first game, and against a really good opposition, it’s just the best nights.”
And Popovic, as one would expect of someone whose gambit turned out brilliantly, was full of praise for the young goalkeeper, not just for his shotstopping but also his distribution.
“His composure. He looked very at ease on the big stage,” said the coach. “He made some good decisions in the first half with playing out; he didn’t panic and just kick the ball long. He changed sides, the point of attack, and he looked composed.
“And then he made the saves that he had to make. They had some wonderful free kicks, and he was up to the task. I’m sure he probably won’t sleep much tonight, and he’ll remember this day for a very long time.”
