Socceroos secure last-32 spot with Paraguay draw

Australia didn’t need fireworks in Santa Clara. They just needed a result. They got it.

A controlled, cagey 0-0 draw with Paraguay on Thursday was enough to push the Socceroos into the last 32 as runners-up in Group D, a quietly efficient step forward in a tournament where bigger names have already fallen away.

This was not the swaggering Australia that stunned Turkey in their opener. Nor the stretched, exposed version that lost to co-hosts the United States. This was a young side that understood the assignment: don’t blink, don’t break, get over the line.

Popovic’s young side passes the test

Tony Popovic backed youth in northern California and was repaid with a gritty, disciplined display in a match that rarely threatened to ignite but never slipped from his team’s control.

“I’d like to think that we dominated the game in a crucial World Cup qualifier with a very young squad in the third match when everything’s on the line,” Popovic said afterwards, clearly satisfied with the maturity on show.

The game itself was short on chances, long on concentration. Australia managed the tempo, kept the ball well enough, and shut down what little ambition Paraguay showed. For both teams, the draw worked; for Australia, it meant survival and a path into the knockouts. For Paraguay, the stalemate also suited their position.

The pressure, though, sat squarely on the Socceroos. Lose, and the campaign risked unravelling. Draw, and the door stayed open. In that context, composure mattered more than chaos.

“The players showed composure, patience, quality, and resilience,” Popovic said. On this evidence, he wasn’t overstating it.

Herrington announces himself

If this match lacked drama on the scoreboard, it offered something more important for Australia’s future: the emergence of 18-year-old Lucas Herrington on the biggest stage.

The central defender, already Australia’s youngest starter at a men’s World Cup and linked with a move to Barcelona, delivered the kind of performance that makes scouts sit up and coaches relax.

“He is a special talent,” said Popovic, himself a former Crystal Palace defender who knows a thing or two about the position. Herrington, who plays in Major League Soccer, did not look like a teenager thrust into a decisive group game. He looked like he belonged.

Popovic made it clear Herrington wasn’t in the squad to make up the numbers. “Again entrusted this talented young man in the most important game of the three,” he noted, highlighting the faith placed in the youngster.

Herrington, by his coach’s admission, had been frustrated at missing minutes against the United States. Popovic liked that. It spoke of hunger, not entitlement. On Thursday, that edge translated into a calm, assured display.

“Today he was outstanding,” Popovic said. Few in Santa Clara would argue.

Dallas awaits – and a bigger stage

Australia’s reward is a trip to Dallas and the air-conditioned home of the Dallas Cowboys on July 3, where they will face the side that finishes second in Group G.

That pool is still in motion, with Egypt, Iran, Belgium and regional rivals New Zealand all jostling for position. Whoever emerges in second will find an Australian side with a week to reset, refocus and heal.

“We’re delighted to have this break,” Popovic admitted. The schedule now gives him time to fine-tune rather than firefight.

“We have a good plan in place to have all players that are fit, ready and able to produce a big performance that might give us a chance to progress even further.”

The stakes rise now. No more safety nets, no more results that “suit both teams”. In Dallas, it will be win or go home.

For a young squad that has already shocked Turkey, gone toe-to-toe with the hosts, and calmly navigated a high-pressure decider, the question is no longer whether they belong here.

It’s how much longer they intend to stay.