Nestory Irankunda’s stunning free kick looked to have handed Australia a famous win over Brazil, only for Rayan to head in with the last kick of the game and rescue a 1-1 draw for Carlo Ancelotti’s side at Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville.
Brazil’s starting XI was packed with star quality, with Bruno Guimarães, Raphinha and Vinícius Júnior all named, Endrick leading the line and Estêvão operating on the flank, while Ancelotti watched from the dugout. Yet it was Australia’s 20-year-old Irankunda who took the spotlight. Paul Okon-Engstler won a free kick roughly 23 yards from goal, and Irankunda planted it over the Brazilian wall and beyond goalkeeper Hugo Souza, who could do nothing but watch it find the net. His celebration, a burst of backflips towards the corner flag, was matched by a wry grin from Tony Popovic in the dugout.
Until that point, Brazil had produced only flashes. Estêvão had the ball in the net with a composed finish on the stroke of half-time, but the goal was correctly ruled out by VAR for a foul by Bruno Guimarães on Harry Souttar in the buildup. Vinícius Júnior’s burst of acceleration set up an early Estêvão shot that was deflected away, and Raphinha, enjoying the form of his life at Barcelona, created space outside the box just past the hour mark before dragging his effort wide.
Irankunda’s goal sparked a late surge from Brazil, who threw players forward to avoid the embarrassment of losing to a perceived lesser footballing nation. The pressure told with the game’s final act: Raphinha swung a corner in from the left and picked out Rayan, whose header carried enough power that even though Patrick Beach got a touch, he could not stop the ball ricocheting off the crossbar and over the goalline.
Both sides also had to contend with the surface, which played its part as the night wore on. The pitch at Queensland Country Bank Stadium had last been used 20 days earlier for a North Queensland Cowboys NRL and NRLW double-header and only degraded further, with hesitant and deliberately cautious movement from players on both teams before several of them ended up on the turf.
There was still plenty for Australia to take from the performance. Alongside the defensive heroics and dogged determination that have become familiar under Popovic, the Socceroos enjoyed spells of assertiveness in possession, defended higher up the pitch and showed the willingness to run at their markers and take them on. In front of a sold-out crowd of 25,440, many of whom seemed to sense the Irankunda moment was coming, they pushed one of the world’s best teams to the very last touch of the ball.