The shootout marked a significant moment for the Socceroos, holding the potential to be a historic moment.
Harry Souttar, the 27-year-old captain and center-back, stood poised over the ball. He took a composed breath, initiated his run-up, only to see the ball soar over the crossbar.
Following successful goals by Jackson Irvine and Awer Mabil, something eerily similar unfolded.
Lucas Herrington, a promising 18-year-old defender, struck the ball, only for it to ricochet off the crossbar, missing the goal entirely.
With two penalties missed and Egypt converting all of theirs, Australia’s hopes in the FIFA World Cup 2026 came to a halt, postponing their aspiration for a first knockout-stage triumph by another four years.
In a post-match interview with SBS, Herrington said he will “move on” from the shootout.
“Obviously, it’s tough; it’s part of the game. I made them [penalties] during the week, I was confident … And unfortunately I missed, but it’s part of the game,” he said.
“It’s hard because it’s the biggest tournament of the year. It’s the biggest, probably, moment in my life, and I miss. I just got to rely on my support network and just get back to working.
“I’m 18, I’ve got a lot of career left, and I think it’s just the first big speedbump in my career.”
In the hours since the shootout, Souttar and Herrington have had support thrown around them by the international football community.
‘My friend, you’re the best’
Veteran Swedish striker and football legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic told Herrington, “reach out, I’m here” during the the US Fox Sports coverage.
“Penalty is like lottery. You score, you become a hero; you don’t score, sadly you become zero,” he said.
“I just want to reach out to Herrington. You’re 18 years old, you’re young, this is just the beginning of your career. You stepping up there, you showed a lot of courage, not everybody will do that.
“My friend, you’re the best. Don’t listen to the rest.”
‘Not easy’
Socceroos players have also supported their teammates after the shootout.
Midfielder Jackson Irvine, who was in tears after the match, said Souttar and Herrington have been “immense” through the whole tournament.
“I hope everyone stays behind them and they get all the support … To step up and take a penalty is not easy,” he said
He said the tournament was the beginning for many of the players.
Socceroos defender Aziz Behich also said Lucas Herrington can keep his head up after missing his shot.
“Lucas is going to be in more of those positions later down the track,” he said.
“The kind of boy Lucas is, such a great lad, great head on his shoulders, great professional.
“I just told him that for him to even just go up there, to put the ball down, was enough for us, and he can keep his head up.”
While some experts, such as Scott Brown, a former Scotland midfielder and BBC One pundit, have criticised the two for being penalty takers, Socceroos coach Tony Popovic has defended his decision to choose Herrington.
“I’m sure you’d be saying something else if the young kid scored,” he said to a journalist.
“You’d probably be sitting there saying how wonderful it is that an 18-year-old had scored.
“If I trust him to play in a game that we needed to get a result against Paraguay, a game where elimination was on the line, then what’s the difference with the penalty?”
You can watch all 104 matches of the FIFA World Cup 2026™ live, free and exclusive on SBS, SBS VICELAND and SBS On Demand.