Australia and Egypt played a high-octane Round of 32 matchup in the 2026 World Cup. However, a strange thing occured when, in the 119th minute of the game, the Socceroos opted to change Patrick Beach in favor of veteran Matthew Ryan in goal.
Beach was replaced by veteran backup Ryan as a strategic move to prepare for a penalty shootout against Egypt in their round of 32 knockout match. We’ve seen this before in the 2014 World Cup, when Netherlands subbed Jasper Cillessen off for Tim Krul, who became a star in the shootout vs. Costa Rica.
Beach played a fantastic match but it seems like the change was a predetermined decision. If the game was about to go to the penalties shootout, Ryan would be the one favored. Hence, the manager Tony Popovic saved this sub until the very end. Now, Egypt prepares for their Round of 16 matchup.
Popovich explained the reason for the change during the postgame press conference. “The Matty Ryan decision was always an option… We didn’t lose any guys due to injury in extra time and so we had one sub, so we put Matty on.”
Is Matthew Ryan a good penalty stopper?
Mathew Ryan is a nightmare for penalty takers. Combining elite reflexes with deep tactical prep, the veteran goalkeeper has pulled off some of his biggest career heroics from the spot, making defining shootout stops for both club and country when it matters most. The hope was for Ryan to avoid Australia going out of the World Cup.
Mathew Ryan #1 of Australia comes on as a substitute replacing Patrick Beach #18
Ryan spectacularly saved a penalty during his milestone 100th international cap, helping secure the World Cup qualification for Australia. Hence, Ryan is very well-trusted for this shootouts.
Did Ryan help Australia vs Egypt in the shootout?
Unfortunately for Ryan and the Socceroos, he couldn’t save a single penalty as Egypt scored four out of four and advanced to the next round. However, it was not all Ryan’s fault.
After all, Australia missed two penalties as well, making life easier for Egypt. The highlight of the shootout was clearly Mohamed Salah making a ‘panenka‘ to trick Ryan and score.
