Patrick Beach delivered ‘the game of his life’ to help Australia thwart Turkey in their World Cup opener.There were serious questions amongst Aussie supporters and pundits when Beach was named to start in goals ahead of skipper Mat Ryan.Beach had yet to appear in a competitive fixture at international level prior to Sunday’s gameGettyBut a record-breaking performance, on his competitive debut no less, helped Beach win over each and every doubter.Patrick is not on the Beach just yetThe 22-year-old, who was perceived to be the Socceroos’ third-choice goalkeeper in the squad, pulled off a staggering eight saves in the 2-0 win over Turkey.That tally was the most saves made by an Australian goalkeeper in a single World Cup match.The pick of the bunch came in the first half when he denied Turkish centre-back Abdulkerim Bardakci.Bardakci let rip with a left-footed rocket that looked destined for the back of the net, only for Beach to fly to his right and tip the ball onto the post.Beach was at it again shortly after Conor Metcalfe doubled the Socceroos’ advantage.Kerem Akturkoglu looked a sure bet to score with a volley from point-blank range, but Beach was there to keep the ball out.The 22-year-old also made smart stops to deny Arda Guler and Hakan Calhanoglu from free-kicks in dangerous areas just outside Australia’s 18-yard box. Gray: Beach had the ‘game of his life’Commentating on the match for talkSPORT, three-time England international Micky Gray waxed lyrical about Beach’s coming-of-age performance.“Tony Popovic obviously knew something we didn’t, because Patrick Beach is having the game of his life,” Gray said.Beach was a colossus between the sticks for AustraliaGetty“Whenever he’s been called upon, he’s made save after save after save.”Former Socceroos goalkeeper Mark Bosnich was equally effusive in his praise for Beach.“He was absolutely outstanding,” Bosnich said on talkSPORT’s Weekend World Cup Breakfast.“Before the game, all the talk was Mat Ryan. There was no controversy beforehand.“Sometimes before a big tournament or a big game, there may be a bit of controversy, ‘Is so-and-so going to start.’ That was not in the conversation whatsoever.“You have to hand it to Tony Popovic.”Popovic rolled the dice on Beach but it proved to be a masterstrokeGettyBeach will look to replicate his stunning performance on Friday when the Socceroos take on the United States in Seattle.Like Australia, the USMNT enjoyed a winning start in their tournament opener as they eased to a 4-1 win over Paraguay.World Cup WhatsAppDon't miss an update from talkSPORT in our dedicated World Cup WhatsApp channel.Search for ‘talkSPORT World Cup’ in your ‘Updates’ tab on WhatsApp and we’ll drop the proper, unfiltered football chat straight to your lock screen—no fluff, just pure talkSPORT energy.It’s where you’ll find out all the new rules to watch out for, England and Scotland reaction and big match player ratings. Plus there will be loads of debates on the biggest talking points as Haaland, Mbappe, Kane and the biggest names in football descend on America, Canada and Mexico.