However massive kudos to the players and especially the penalty takers. Souttar and Herrington put their hands up to take a penalty and for that they have my utmost respect!

I have tried to give Poppa the benefit of the doubt, especially after our strong performance against Turkey, but his subsequent team selections have been completely mind-boggling. It almost feels like he is trying to make a statement by deliberately going against the status quo. Our best...

Great to reach the knockouts, and hopefully Popa has taken note of the last two matches—particularly that Irankunda isn’t a number 9. He’s our most dynamic winger, and in that role he caused the Turkish defence all sorts of problems. The number 9 role should rotate between Touré and Yengi...

If Segacic had not made the change to Croatia, would he have made Popovic’s WC squad? With McGree injury he likely gets in but I am not entirely convinced Popovic would have selected him.

Burgess distribution down the left channel is why he has to start ahead of Herrington

This feels like Popovic making a statement with Robertson's omission. By sitting on the fence and not committing to Australia during the qualifying campaign, it may have ultimately harmed his chances of making the final squad. I appreciate that Popovic took a different approach with Volpato...

Does anyone know if the Socceroos v Switzerland match will be broadcast outside of Australia? I’m particularly interested in coverage in the UK.

As much as I don’t like it (I want all Aussies to commit to the Socceroos), Volpato has played the dual-nationality situation smartly. He pushed for Italy — a nation that, despite their recent World Cup qualifying failures, are traditionally competing for major honours. With his chances of...

With Robertson omitted and several recent national team defections — developments I believe many fans are deeply unhappy about — Popovic has placed significant pressure on himself. If Australia fail to progress from the group, his position should come under serious scrutiny. Longer term, I fear...

Souttar brings a goal threat to set pieces which for me has him as a nailed on stater - fitness permitting.

I still maintain that he’s been very poorly advised. If there’s an issue with Popovic, why not simply take the stance of making himself unavailable for Australia selection? He’s unlikely to be picked for Croatia’s 2026 World Cup squad, so making a one-time switch now seems odd. Instead, he could...

Does U21 football count as “official” or “unofficial”? The line "in any kind of football" does seem to suggest this. I’m trying to understand whether Segecic’s appearance for Croatia’s U21s would tie him to Croatia, and likewise whether Pavlešić is already tied based on his previous U21...

Thanks for that. It honestly baffles me that a player who is currently sitting on the bench for a club fighting relegation in the English second tier — yet still had a very realistic chance of representing Australia at the World Cup — is now choosing to play for Croatia’s U21s, with any...

Do you have a link where this is stated? I haven’t been able to find anything so far.

My understanding — although I haven’t been able to find a direct link on the FIFA site — is that there is a “switch‑back if never capped” provision. Senior friendlies and U21 matches aren’t considered competitive fixtures, so in theory there remains a small window for a player to return to their...