ShareWatford’s lightning quick forward could be the key to Australia being the surprise package of the 2026 World Cup.By Graham RuthvenFor the best part of 30 minutes, Australia had sat deep inside their own half. They were frustrating Türkiye who were widely expected to start their World Cup with three points. When the opportunity arose for Nestory Irankunda to be a dagger through the heart of the opposition defence, he took it.In the blink of an eye, Irankunda had skipped past the helpless Merih Demiral and reversed a neat finish in at the near post to give the Socceroos a lead they ultimately wouldn’t relinquish. Australia’s defensive resilience might have given them a platform to produce a shock, but Irankunda provided the attacking quality to make it happen.Irankunda has been spoken about as a potential Socceroos star for a long time. He was on the books at Bayern Munich until last year and enjoyed a productive first season for Watford in the Championship last term, registering four goals and four assists in just over 2,000 league minutes.Irankunda’s heat map vs. TürkiyeSpeed is Irankunda’s best quality. He demonstrated this by bursting into open space for his goal against Türkiye and by pushing Zeki Çelik back down the left wing. Even when the 20-year-old didn’t receive the ball, the threat of his direct running was enough to keep Türkiye on their toes.While Irankunda accumulated just 18 touches in his 61 minutes on the pitch, Australia’s game plan needed the Watford winger to give them oxygen. Without him, the Socceroos surely would have buckled under the pressure of constant Turkish pressure. They required someone to offer relief in the other direction and Irankunda was that valve.Appointed Socceroos boss two years ago, Tony Popovic has done his best to bring through the next generation. He has made a number of bold calls to integrate youngsters other managers might have deemed ill-equipped for the top level. Several of them featured in the win over Türkiye.Popovic benched Matty Ryan in favour of Patrick Beach in goal. Jackson Irvine was also left out of the lineup for Paul Okon-Engstler in the centre of the pitch. Between them, the pair had a grand total of zero competitive appearances for Australia. 20-year-old Irankunda was another inexperienced performer Popovic trusted.“They were maybe shocks for a lot of people, but not shocks within our playing group or staff,” said Popovic. “Because we’re all working together every day, and we can see the quality of these young boys. We’ve got Mo Toure, Nestory, Junior – Okon, Patrick Beach, and many more. It’s a team selected to perform well. You never know the result, of course. We’re at a World Cup, but for me, it’s the performance. The result is the satisfaction and the outcome. But, regardless of the result, it was the right decision.”Next up for Australia is an encounter with the USA in Seattle. Against Paraguay in their first World Cup match on home soil since 1994, the USA made a statement. They dominated in all areas and could have scored more than four. It was the sort of performance that made the rest of the tournament sit up and take note. The USMNT could be a force to be reckoned with. Mauricio Pochettino has moulded the side in his own image with the likes of Christian Pulisic, Folarin Balogun and Weston McKennie all seemingly in top form if their collective performance against Paraguay is anything to go by. Australia, however, will be stodgier in defence than Paraguay were. They will sit in their low defensive block for the majority of the match and ask the co-hosts to break them down. If the USA are missing Pulisic, who hasn’t completed a full training session since the opening match, they might not have the tools to find a way through.In the other direction, there could be space behind the USMNT backline for Irankunda and co. to exploit. Pochettino has utilised a back three in build-up of late which could present Australia with a target to hit on the break. At 38, Tim Ream is lacking a yard of pace while Chris Richards is still searching for full fitness. Irankunda could be too much for them.On talent alone, the USMNT will have the advantage in Seattle on Friday. Pochettino’s side have started strongly and have good reason to be confident about their chances of making it six points out of a possible six to start their World Cup campaign. They have enough attacking threat to hurt the Socceroos.However, if Australia can recycle the game plan that worked so well for them in their victory over Türkiye, Popovic’s side could bolster their growing reputation as this tournament’s biggest surprise package. Irankunda in particular could be the biggest threat to the co-hosts.(Images from IMAGO)You can follow every Australia game on FotMob – with in-depth stat coverage, including xG, shot maps, and player ratings. Download the free app here.Add FotMob as a preferred news source on Google by clicking – here.Watford’s lightning quick forward could be the key to Australia being the surprise package of the 2026 World Cup.By Graham RuthvenFor the best part of 30 minutes, Australia had sat deep inside their own half. They were frustrating Türkiye who were widely expected to start their World Cup with three points. When the opportunity arose for Nestory Irankunda to be a dagger through the heart of the opposition defence, he took it.In the blink of an eye, Irankunda had skipped past the helpless Merih Demiral and reversed a neat finish in at the near post to give the Socceroos a lead they ultimately wouldn’t relinquish. Australia’s defensive resilience might have given them a platform to produce a shock, but Irankunda provided the attacking quality to make it happen.Irankunda has been spoken about as a potential Socceroos star for a long time. He was on the books at Bayern Munich until last year and enjoyed a productive first season for Watford in the Championship last term, registering four goals and four assists in just over 2,000 league minutes.Irankunda’s heat map vs. TürkiyeSpeed is Irankunda’s best quality. He demonstrated this by bursting into open space for his goal against Türkiye and by pushing Zeki Çelik back down the left wing. Even when the 20-year-old didn’t receive the ball, the threat of his direct running was enough to keep Türkiye on their toes.While Irankunda accumulated just 18 touches in his 61 minutes on the pitch, Australia’s game plan needed the Watford winger to give them oxygen. Without him, the Socceroos surely would have buckled under the pressure of constant Turkish pressure. They required someone to offer relief in the other direction and Irankunda was that valve.Appointed Socceroos boss two years ago, Tony Popovic has done his best to bring through the next generation. He has made a number of bold calls to integrate youngsters other managers might have deemed ill-equipped for the top level. Several of them featured in the win over Türkiye.Popovic benched Matty Ryan in favour of Patrick Beach in goal. Jackson Irvine was also left out of the lineup for Paul Okon-Engstler in the centre of the pitch. Between them, the pair had a grand total of zero competitive appearances for Australia. 20-year-old Irankunda was another inexperienced performer Popovic trusted.“They were maybe shocks for a lot of people, but not shocks within our playing group or staff,” said Popovic. “Because we’re all working together every day, and we can see the quality of these young boys. We’ve got Mo Toure, Nestory, Junior – Okon, Patrick Beach, and many more. It’s a team selected to perform well. You never know the result, of course. We’re at a World Cup, but for me, it’s the performance. The result is the satisfaction and the outcome. But, regardless of the result, it was the right decision.”Next up for Australia is an encounter with the USA in Seattle. Against Paraguay in their first World Cup match on home soil since 1994, the USA made a statement. They dominated in all areas and could have scored more than four. It was the sort of performance that made the rest of the tournament sit up and take note. The USMNT could be a force to be reckoned with. Mauricio Pochettino has moulded the side in his own image with the likes of Christian Pulisic, Folarin Balogun and Weston McKennie all seemingly in top form if their collective performance against Paraguay is anything to go by. Australia, however, will be stodgier in defence than Paraguay were. They will sit in their low defensive block for the majority of the match and ask the co-hosts to break them down. If the USA are missing Pulisic, who hasn’t completed a full training session since the opening match, they might not have the tools to find a way through.In the other direction, there could be space behind the USMNT backline for Irankunda and co. to exploit. Pochettino has utilised a back three in build-up of late which could present Australia with a target to hit on the break. At 38, Tim Ream is lacking a yard of pace while Chris Richards is still searching for full fitness. Irankunda could be too much for them.On talent alone, the USMNT will have the advantage in Seattle on Friday. Pochettino’s side have started strongly and have good reason to be confident about their chances of making it six points out of a possible six to start their World Cup campaign. They have enough attacking threat to hurt the Socceroos.However, if Australia can recycle the game plan that worked so well for them in their victory over Türkiye, Popovic’s side could bolster their growing reputation as this tournament’s biggest surprise package. Irankunda in particular could be the biggest threat to the co-hosts.(Images from IMAGO)You can follow every Australia game on FotMob – with in-depth stat coverage, including xG, shot maps, and player ratings. Download the free app here.Add FotMob as a preferred news source on Google by clicking – here.