Australia spoils Turkey’s return to the World Cup with a 2-0 victory

Goalkeeper Patrick Beach made eight saves for the Socceroos in their group opener on Saturday night as FIFA President Gianni Infantino looked on.

The 20-year anniversary of Cahill’s double against Japan was exactly two days ago, and these players marked it with a 2-0 win over Turkey.

Australia on Sunday upset Türkiye 2-0 with its methodical defense and counter-attack playbook to secure the win in their Group D match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at BC Place Vancouver in Canada.

Turkey reached the semifinals of the 2002 World Cup but then missed five straight tournaments before qualifying this year by beating Kosovo in a playoff.