Even before a ball was kicked in the Socceroos’ two-game series against Brazil, Tony Popovic was musing about the shift in demeanour he’d noticed among the players. Yes, it had only been three months since they last saw each other at the World Cup, but change, the coach felt, was afoot. And while that may not seem like sufficient time for a notable shift in mentality, it would be in keeping with a journey that began more than 12 months ago, when their World Cup qualification was sealed early.
Because as well entrenched as the players may now feel in the squad and the public consciousness, it’s worth remembering that when Australia beat Saudi Arabia and punched their tickets to North America in June 2025, neither Nestory Irankunda nor Mohamed Touré were regular selections. Their true international breakouts came in the October friendlies against New Zealand. Paul Okon-Engstler, Patrick Beach, and Lucas Herrington had not made their debuts, while Cristian Volpato was still playing for Italy’s junior teams.
Jacob Italiano was toiling in relative obscurity in Austria and Tete Yengi was known as “Kusini’s younger brother”. Now, though, they’ve all been to a World Cup and most have secured moves to the sink-or-swim surroundings of bigger leagues, with Herrington’s rise taking him from the A-League Men to the Premier League via MLS in 12 months. Their clubs’ expectations on them are higher, and Popovic says their “understanding of the game is certainly improving”.
Assembling for the first time since their penalty shootout elimination against Egypt, the Socceroos acquitted themselves well against the Seleção in Queensland, letting a lead slip late and drawing 1-1 on a horror pitch in Townsville, before fading in a fiery 4-2 defeat in Brisbane. And, results aside, there was an air that the Socceroos took a step forward in both games. e hard running and physicality expected of them were still there – until the late fadeouts when the strength of Brazil’s depth showed as they finished strongly. Yet within this framework there was a shift in Australia’s intent, too.
A willingness to press higher, to drive between the lines, make the risky pass, and to try to play, not just battle, their way out of trouble. Admittedly, it didn’t always come off, it taking significant commitment and continuity to bed these kinds of things in, and pressing higher meant there was space behind for Brazil to exploit. But the contrast between how the Australians’ intent compared with previous performances was remarkable; night and day from the side that bogged down against Egypt in the World Cup round of 32, or were blown out of the water by the United States in the first half of their group stage loss.
I think there’s a lot of confidence to take out of these two games and the way we played.” That Okon-Engstler was the final player to speak to media before the Socceroos dispersed on Wednesday – Miloš Degenek and Paul Izzo jumping in a car with declarations they were off to Dreamworld – felt apt. For not only was he one of the Socceroos’ most impressive players across the series, he’s also emblematic of their evolution. The 21-year-old’s ability to operate in tight spaces, turn upfield and break lines represents the type of midfielder the Socceroos need if they’re to build upon their Brazil performances.
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