Australian goalkeeper Patrick Beach had no idea he would be sent off for Friday’s World Cup penalty shootout against Egypt as coach Tony Popovic came under fire for the baffling decision.
Beach, 22, went into the tournament as runner-up to veteran Socceroos shot-stopper and captain Mathew Ryan.
But in a shock start he started every game and proved rock solid, only to be substituted deep into extra time in the last 32 games against Egypt in Dallas when penalties loomed.
Popovic brought on Ryan but he failed to make a save and Egypt won 4–2 on penalties, setting up a last-16 meeting with Argentina after the match finished 1–1.
“You have to talk to the coaches about that,” Beach told Australian media about the goalkeeper switch.
‘I found out at the same time that you did that.
‘It is clear that there was a plan in place and we knew nothing about it.
“The coaches have made a decision, and as far as that goes, Matty and I are here to do the job that works best for the team and produces the best outcome for our team.”
Ryan was also in the dark, saying: «No, no, I wasn’t told that before the game.»
Former Australian goalkeeper Mark Bosnich said he was “stunned” by the move, while another goalkeeping icon Mark Schwarzer added: “I personally believe that the goalkeeper who is playing should stay there.”
Ex-footballer Robbie Slater called it a failure of the coaching staff.
“Beach was in great form and now we will never know if that form translates into a saved goal in the penalty shootout,” he said in a column for the Australian newspaper.
“Again, this is the coaching staff and as far as I’m concerned this is another failure.”
Slater was also indignant when defender Lucas Herrington was asked to take one of the penalties. The 18-year-old hit the bar.
“This should never have been laid at his feet,” he wrote.
«With Australia in a penalty shootout to survive the World Cup, someone in the Socceroos brain should have said, ‘Do we really want to hang this on an 18-year-old?'»
Popovic defended the gamble and said he was proud of the team.
“Okay, it didn’t work, so we can look at a lot of things about the reasons behind it, but with Maty’s experience, and I think if you look at his record in saving penalties,” Popovic said.
“We just felt like Maty’s experience would make a difference.”
Turning to Herrington in such a pressure situation, Popovic said: «I’m sure you would say something different if the young boy scored.»
Herrington, who looked devastated afterwards, insisted he was ready to play his role.
«The coaching staff trusted me, I was confident and I knew where I wanted to put it. Unfortunately it’s just part of football, I missed that,» he told Australian reporters.
Published on July 4, 2026
