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In Brief
- The Socceroos thumped Curaçao 5-1 on Tuesday in their last home game before the FIFA World Cup in June.
- Socceroos young gun Nestory Irankunda scored a brace in just five minutes after he was substituted on.
Nestory Irankunda is a rising star with immense potential and a flair for memorable goal celebrations, and he’s determined to make a significant impact with the Socceroos.
Coach Tony Popovic has high hopes for the young talent, noting that Irankunda is now better equipped than ever to reach his full potential.
The 20-year-old showcased his exceptional skills during a friendly match against Curaçao, where he delivered a stunning performance in just 25 minutes, scoring two goals in quick succession. Australia triumphed with a 5-1 victory.
Additional goals were netted by Awer Mabil, Alessandro Circati, and Jordan Bos, rounding out the impressive win.
Reflecting on his performance and being named player of the FIFA Series, Irankunda expressed his consistent drive: “I’m always focused, always want to make an impact, and always want to play well.”
“And he (Popovic) has the belief in me. And with his belief, I’m able to do what I do, which is score from open play now.
“You’ve seen it a lot now with the national team, I’m scoring from open play and not just from set pieces. So he gives me the confidence and it’s exciting to see.”
Irankunda wouldn’t buy into whether he would rather start than be a substitute.
Popovic dropped Irankunda, then a forward for Germany’s Bayern Munich, in November 2024 and made the then-teen sensation earn his spot.
Irankunda got to work during a loan stint at Switzerland’s Grasshopper Club Zurich and has thrived since moving to Watford in the UK.
“He’s a young man who’s just growing in maturity, not just on the field, but I think off the field,” Popovic said.
“He’s adapting, he’s learning. Very good young man. We’ve always had a good relationship, and we just want him to get better.
“And you can see today, when his mind is clear, he wants to contribute, whether that’s a start, whether it’s coming on, whether that’s coming on for one minute.
“And that’s progression, because maybe in October, November, his mind wasn’t so clear. And you can already see four or five months later, it’s normal. He’s young, he’s 20 years old. He’s a wonderful talent.
“We want him to be happy, want him to enjoy his football. We also wanted him to understand that he needs to work. Talent’s not enough. It never has been.”
Popovic believed Irankunda was starting to get to grips with the grunt work required.
“He wants to learn, he wants to get better at all aspects,” he said.
“And with good people around him, I think he can just keep growing and improving.”
Popovic was delighted with how Irankunda, best known for thumping long-range goals, created his goals — getting into the box and dribbling.
For the first goal, Irankunda dribbled through the Curaçao defence and finished at the near post.
He celebrated with a backflip, then caught a rhinestone glove thrown to him by a friend, put it on and danced like Michael Jackson.
Fellow attacker Riley McGree said: “He’s electric, he’s unpredictable, he’s everything you want from a young player.
“From the personality to the technical ability, the tactical ability, he can, in the attacking sense, do it all.
“He does have the world at his feet. I’m really excited to see where his career goes.”
Irankunda and his teammates are ready for the next step: at June’s World Cup.
The Socceroos will play Türkiye — who beat Kosovo 1-0 in their World Cup playoff final on Tuesday morning — in their World Cup opener, before taking on the United States and Paraguay.
“We have one goal, which is to achieve something great, achieve something that’s never been achieved before,” Irankunda said.
“We want to be that group that goes all the way and potentially wins the World Cup.
“No-one has the belief in us, obviously, but we have the belief in ourselves to go do something great.”
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