“It’s almost funny,” Jackson Irvine said.
asserted
Irvine → ’ → ?
“You just laugh because it’s just like, yeah, of course he does.
asserted
he → laugh → course
Of course he did.
asserted
he → do → ?
That’s just Nestor.”
asserted
That → ’ → ?
Irankunda’s wicked, drifting strike from well outside the box deserved to be the matchwinner on Friday night - and it
asserted
strike → drift → night
very nearly was, until Rayan’s header deep in stoppage time salvaged a 1-1 draw for the five-time world champions in a friendly in Townsville.
asserted
header → salvage → Townsville
The late equaliser robbed Australia of what would have been just their second victory over Brazil - but Irankunda’s goal was the second time a Socceroos player has scored against them, which means it should go down in history regardless.
asserted
it → rob → history
When Paul Okon jnr drew a foul a few metres out from the edge of the penalty area, Irankunda’s eyes lit up.
asserted
eyes → draw → area
He has scored plenty of direct free kicks at club level, but hitherto none in a Socceroos jersey.
asserted
He → score → jersey
Here was his chance, positioned perfectly within his range.
asserted
chance → position → range
“You know something special can happen when the ball’s at his feet,” said defender Aziz Behich.
asserted
Behich → know → feet
Brazil’s legendary coach, Carlo Ancelotti, knew it, too.
asserted
coach → know → it
“We knew he was a fantastic player,” he said.
asserted
he → know → ?
“He’s a player with a lot of talent.
asserted
He → ’ → talent
He’s doing really well in Europe.
asserted
He → do → Europe
We knew [what he could do in] this kind of situation, on set pieces.
uncertain
he → know → pieces
He shot fantastic.”
asserted
He → shoot → ?
Remember: Irankunda is only 20 years old, which means Socceroos fans can look forward to at least another decade of watching him play; of knowing that so long he is on the field, Australia is a chance of winning any game, because he can produce magic like that out of nowhere.
asserted
he → remember → that
On a night built around Brazil’s array of superstars - Vinicius jnr, Raphinha, Bruno Guimaraes et al - Irankunda stole the spotlight, giving the 25,000 fans at Queensland Country Bank Stadium a ‘where were you?’ story they can dine out on for years, and for the many budding young footballers in the crowd, a flash of inspiration they could take home.
uncertain
they → build → inspiration
Earlier in the week, Irankunda had spoken of his desire to build a career with the Socceroos that would “be remembered”.
asserted
that → speak → Socceroos
Moments like this are how that happens, and the significance of it was not lost on him.
asserted
significance → happen → him
“People see that and they keep talking about it for a while,” Irankunda said.
asserted
Irankunda → see → while
“We’ve got the main sports here in Australia, which is the NRL and the AFL.
asserted
which → get → Australia
I feel like football is very underrated here.
asserted
football → feel → ?
What we’ve done at the World Cup and what we’re doing now, it’s something new.
asserted
it → do → what
It’s the new generation, the next generation.
asserted
It → ’ → ?
“It feels great to play against the world’s best, and to score against them felt great.
asserted
score → feel → them
It just shows that we can play football as well.
asserted
we → show → football
I’ve said this multiple times: Australia has the talent.
asserted
Australia → say → talent
We’ve just got to find a way to show that.”
asserted
We → get → that
Coach Tony Popovic said he could see a “clear difference” in Irankunda since the World Cup, where he started three games and came off the bench in another, scoring another cracker in Australia’s famous win over Turkey.
uncertain
he → say → Turkey
His performances earned him a $25 million transfer to Portuguese giants Sporting Lisbon, where he is still trying to establish himself as a starting player.
asserted
he → earn → player
That battle continues, but Popovic said he could see a significant change in his maturity since the move, declaring his development was “well ahead” of what he expected from him at this point in his career.
“
uncertain
he → continue → career
What he’s learning is that the transfer is one part.
asserted
transfer → learn → What
Now you go to a new club, they don’t give you minutes, they don’t guarantee you minutes, they give you nothing.
asserted
they → go → nothing
You have to earn everything,” Popovic said.
asserted
Popovic → have → everything
“That’s what we want at the Socceroos.
asserted
we → ’ → Socceroos
Names don’t just get a starting spot.
asserted
Names → get → spot
He delivered today, played very well and he’ll only get better.
“
asserted
he → deliver → ?
You can just imagine when he’s 24 or 28, if he can stay fit and play and play and play, and just keep getting better physically, and now he’s understanding the game ...
asserted
he → imagine → game
…and 13 more, not listed.
The Aporia
