ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — As Australia faces a shootout; world cupcoach Toni Popovich replaced the tournament-first goalkeeper, who had found the back of the net late in overtime and had already made a crucial stop, with a more experienced goalkeeper.
And after Egypt converted the first three shots in the penalty shootout, Popovic sent out 18-year-old defender Lucas Herrington to take the much-needed kick.
Neither move worked for the Socceroos in the Round of 32. Egypt beat Australia 4-2 in penalty shootout It came after a 1-1 draw on Friday.
Herrington’s mistake set up Hossam Abdelmaguid for the game-clinching goal. Keeper Matthew Ryan, making his 105th international appearance for Australia, replaced starter Patrick Beach and failed to stop any of Egypt’s four shots.
Asked about the decision, Popovich said: “If a young kid scores a goal, I’m sure I’ll say something different. I’ll probably sit there and say, “It’s great for an 18-year-old to take a penalty and score a goal.” “I trust him to play in the games we needed to get a result against Paraguay and in the games where we could have lost. What’s the difference with penalties?”
As for the late keeper change, 34-year-old Ryan was substituted despite the 22-year-old Beech making some good saves in just his sixth game for Australia. Beach sprawled to save a header towards the end of regulation, and seconds later he made a far easier stop from Mohamed Salah’s shot.
Popovich said substitutions were always an option and the decision to do so was made with the team’s final substitution for the game.
“It didn’t work out and you can think a lot about the reasons behind it, but if you look at Matty’s experience and his record of penalty saves, I think Patrick is new not only for the national team but also as a goalkeeper in club football,” the manager said. “We felt that Matty’s experience would make a difference. In the end it didn’t work out, but it wasn’t because of poor judgment or lack of ability on Matty’s part. They took really good penalties.”
This was an interesting development from four years ago, when Popovich was a captain at the time, before he became a head coach. The keeper was sent off because Ryan was late. In overtime of a game we should have won. Australia defeated Peru 5-4 on penalties in the intercontinental play-offs, with substitute keeper Andrew Redmayne saving the last penalty and sealing their place in the World Cup for the fifth consecutive year.
It also reminded me of the 120th minute of the 2014 World Cup quarter-final against Costa Rica, especially when Dutch goalkeeper Tim Krul was subbed off by coach Louis van Gaal for the penalty shootout. Krul saved two penalties and led the Netherlands to a 4-3 penalty shootout victory. The game remained scoreless until overtime, when Krul was replaced by starting pitcher Jasper Cillessen.
When Australia took the first shot in the latest penalty shootout, Harry Souter sent his kick over the crossbar. Egypt took their first three kicks and Australia had good performances from Jackson Irvine and Awel Mabil before Herrington was substituted.
“Yeah, obviously I think a lot of people are wondering why I stepped up. The coaching staff, the team had my back,” Herrington said. “I was confident, so I knew where to put my effort. I went through my routine, but unfortunately it didn’t go my way. So I just want to keep working hard and come back strong.”
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