A minute before the penalty shootout, the Australian coach replaced the goalkeeper. Did it help?
The main and extra time of the 1/16 final match of the World Cup between Australia and Egypt was heading for a draw, when coach Tony Popovic made an ambiguous decision.
Photo: Julio Cortez / AP
In the last minute of extra time, he replaced 22-year-old Patrick Beach, who plays for Melbourne City, with the more experienced 34-year-old Matthew Ryan of Spanish club Levante.
Beach played in all three group stage matches, while for Ryan, this was his World Cup debut.
In 2022, the Australians already used a similar tactical move. In the World Cup qualification final, they met the Peru national team, and before the post-match penalty shootout, Andrew Redmayne came onto the field instead of Ryan. Australia then managed to win, writes Sports.ru.
However, this time the substitution did not work.
The substitute goalkeeper did not save his team even once, and two of his teammates failed to convert their shots in the penalty shootout (over the bar and hit the post) — as a result, the Australian national team left the tournament, and Egypt will play Argentina in the 1/8 final.
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