MELBOURNE — Nestory Irankunda’s preferred artist is Michael Jackson, and his top song from the King of Pop is “Smooth Criminal” — the iconic track where Annie falls victim to a “smooth” assailant who leaves no trace. The Socceroos forward, however, left ample proof of his impact at AAMI Park on Tuesday, scoring twice during a four-goal, 17-minute surge that led his team to a 5-1 triumph over Curacao. He celebrated his first goal with a Jackson-inspired display, donning a silver glove tossed to him from the stands and executing the megastar’s signature crotch-grabbing dance move.
“He’s my mate,” Irankunda stated regarding his enigmatic supporter. “He’s a photographer, and he reached out to me on Instagram to see if I wanted to do something related to Michael Jackson. I agreed immediately, as he knows I’m a big admirer of Michael Jackson and his music, and it was fantastic to showcase it to the audience.”
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Alongside Jordan Bos and Riley McGree, who entered the match with the 20-year-old forward in the 66th minute, Irankunda played a crucial role in enabling the Socceroos to unleash a devastating final 20 minutes, altering the narrative from their send-off match in Melbourne. This was the last game the Socceroos would play on home turf before the FIFA World Cup, as well as the final preparation before Tony Popovic announces his extended squad for the tournament.
Prior to this match, there hadn’t been much to generate excitement or confidence heading into the World Cup. It had been somewhat of a struggle. Although Awer Mabil’s first-half goal had put Australia ahead, they had not created many scoring opportunities against the Caribbean side, who had posed threats on several occasions and eventually equalized when Ar’jany Martha slipped behind the hosts’ defense five minutes into the second half. That goal drained the energy from the stadium, and captain Mathew Ryan acknowledged after the match that the team needed to dig deep and endure some challenges. However, Popovic made tactical changes.
This adjustment aligned with the team’s approach under his guidance: persevering against an increasingly fatigued opponent before breaking through with speed, intent, accuracy, and brilliance from standout players. For instance, McGree had previously come off the bench to assist Aziz Behich’s late, qualification-sealing goal against Japan, while all of Irankunda’s goals during the coach’s tenure have occurred in the second half. Symbolically, these substitutions felt as though the coach had decided to take a more aggressive stance.
With the outcome suddenly uncertain and the coach likely wanting to avoid the added pressure of a negative narrative surrounding his team as they head into the World Cup, the time for experimentation had passed. Cameron Burgess was introduced to strengthen the defense, and moving forward, the focus shifted to a more aggressive approach.
The payoff was nearly immediate. Irankunda and McGree linked up before the latter set up Alessandro Circati for the go-ahead goal (his first for the Socceroos) just two minutes after entering the match. Then Bos received a pass from McGree, cut inside, and curled a shot in off the far post. Following that, Irankunda maneuvered around several defenders and unleashed a shot with enough power that Eloy Room, despite getting a touch on it, could not prevent it from going in. Finally, Irankunda capped off the scoring, played through on goal by halftime substitute Nishan Velupillay, and fired a shot past Trevor Doornbusch, who had replaced Room, to make it five.
This performance would have thrilled supporters in green and gold, a sensational headline brought to life: blink and you’ll miss it, 17 minutes that demonstrate how devastatingly effective they can be when unleashing their young talents. Approaching the end of long seasons but still with significant club commitments ahead, Irankunda, Bos, and McGree were all managed during this series but will face fewer restrictions come June, when they are expected to be key players. Additionally, Circati continues to impress as a top-tier defender, Kai Trewin was evaluated as a potential right wing-back option, and Paul Okon-Engstler displayed further promise in midfield after coming on at halftime.
The hope is that, by the time the World Cup arrives, even more game-changing ability will be derived from a fit Mohamed Toure leading the attack. With Norwich City striker sidelined due to injury, Deni JuriΔ was included in the starting lineup for a second consecutive match and, while his intelligent positioning during the press and subsequent flick-on contributed to Mabil’s opener, the WisΕa PΕock striker may not be taking over the starting position just yet. Ante Suto, on the other hand, did not see action in his first opportunity with Australia, as Irankunda was instead tasked with leading the line as a second-half substitute in both matches.
This is why, fundamentally, Australia’s automatic qualification has been so crucial: it allowed Popovic, after not utilizing them much during qualifying, to gradually integrate players like TourΓ© and Irankunda into his squads during low-pressure friendlies. The Socceroos coach has been able to allocate valuable minutes to them and create opportunities to instill essential lessons about not only his expectations on the field but also the standards they need to meet off it to reach the required physical, mental, tactical, technical, and psychological levels. Irankunda’s three goals in this window, for example, have all resulted from him advancing into the penalty area and shooting — an aspect of his game that Popovic has consistently emphasized as needing improvement over the past year.
“It’s been a significant focus,” Irankunda remarked. “Being part of the national team, that’s what he expects from me — he wants me to get into the box, and he also wants me to do it at the club level.”
Reflecting on the broader context, however, Tuesday underscored how the Socceroos, despite different personnel from the outset, will likely aim to secure victories come June. They will establish a strong foundation that is challenging to breach — remember, they excel at defending — before leveraging their individual talents to seize moments that can win them matches. We witnessed this on Tuesday, as well as against Cameroon, and on numerous occasions prior.
This approach does not eliminate risk but rather alters its context, minimizing it defensively while raising the stakes for individuals in attack: being sharp enough amid limited clear-cut chances has characterized the peaks of this team — they outperformed their expected goals (xG) by nearly 10, 28.5 to 38, under Graham Arnold and Popovic during qualifiers — while their clinical edge waned, as their opponents capitalized, correlating with a losing streak post-qualification.
Whether this style of football will yield results against Group D opponents TΓΌrkiye, the United States, and Paraguay in just two months is a question that will not only define Popovic’s tenure but also, given the significance of the national teams, the future of Australian football. Can it produce results when facing a seasoned European or South American team, or a host nation? Can it withstand adversity and recover from a losing position? Were challenging matches against Venezuela and Colombia omens or learning experiences? Because, while it may not always be the easiest to watch, it must be effective to be acceptable.
We will soon find out, as this is the style of football that has brought Popovic to prominence, and now he will engage with it. He likely won’t moonwalk with it, however.
