The night belonged to Nestory Irankunda, who etched his name into the history books by becoming Australia’s youngest ever goalscorer at a World Cup. At just 20 years and 125 days, the Watford winger broke the previous record held by Brett Holman since 2010. His moment of magic came in the first half when he latched onto a long ball from Paul Okon-Engstler, shrugged off the Turkish backline, and slotted a cool finish past Ugurcan Cakir.
Speaking after the match, the young star was understandably emotional about his contribution on the world stage. “It is unreal. A dream come true. We’ve got the win right now. We worked extra hard, we thought until the end. It’s an exciting moment,” Irankunda told ITV. “It feels amazing. You’ve got to thank the staff, you’ve got to thank the nation. They all believe in me to do so well and today, getting that goal was amazing. It is just a great feeling.”
