Subway Socceroos wrap up the qualifying stage with a dominant victory over Palestine
Australia 5
Palestine 0
The Subway Socceroos wrapped up the second stage of their FIFA World Cup 2026™ qualification campaign with a commanding 5-0 victory over Palestine on Tuesday 11th June at HBF Park in Perth.
This win marked their sixth shutout in this qualifying round, propelling them to the top of the group standings with 18 points and 22 goals scored across six matches.
Kusini Yengi netted twice, while Adam Taggart, Martin Boyle and Nestory Irankunda each contributed a goal, delighting the 18,261 spectators in attendance.
Graham Arnold, the coach, implemented eight changes to the lineup from the previous triumph against Bangladesh and the reshuffled team wasted no time asserting dominance.
The opening goal came early via a penalty in the third minute, converted by Kusini Yengi after Aziz Behich was fouled in the box by Yaser Hamed. Throughout the first half, Martin Boyle and Mathew Leckie provided dangerous crosses, with Taggart securing a goal in the 26th minute from Boyle’s assist.
In the 38th minute, a poignant moment occurred as fans paid tribute to Dylan Tombides, a promising Australian player who tragically passed away in 2014. Yengi extended the lead in the 41st minute, capitalising on Boyle’s dribble through defenders.
Entering halftime with a commanding 3-0 lead, Australia maintained control with 60% possession and seven attempts on goal.
The second half saw no dip in momentum as Taggart assisted Boyle for another goal in the 53rd minute. Substitutions followed, with Apostolos Stamatelopoulos and Connor Metcalfe making their debuts.
In the 70th minute, Nestory Irankunda entered the field, making his Australian debut, while later substitutions included Jordy Bos and Cammy Devlin.
Although Palestine posed some threats, Australia remained resolute and in the 87th minute, Irankunda converted a penalty to seal the 5-0 victory, becoming the second youngest goal scorer in Socceroos history at 18 years and 123 days.
With the final whistle, Australia concluded this phase of qualification on a high note, with the 2026 FIFA World Cup journey set to commence exactly two years later.
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