Socceroos Secure Last-32 Spot with Paraguay Draw
Australia didn’t need fireworks in Santa Clara. They just needed a result.
On a cool Thursday night in northern California, the Socceroos played out a goalless draw with Paraguay that lacked drama but delivered exactly what mattered: safe passage into the last 32 as runners-up in Group D.
It was cagey, calculated, and at times downright dull. For Tony Popovic, it was close to perfect.
From stunning Turkey to surviving the USA
Australia arrived at Levi’s Stadium with their fate in their own hands, a position earned the hard way. They had shocked Turkey in their opener, then been dragged back to earth by co-hosts the United States.
This third game carried all the jeopardy. Lose, and the door creaked open for an early flight home. Hold their nerve, and the job was done.
Popovic backed youth again, rolled out another fearless line-up, and watched a young side manage the occasion with a maturity that belied their years. It wasn’t expansive. It didn’t need to be. Australia controlled what they could, killed what they couldn’t, and walked off with the point that pushed them over the line.
“We’ve seen already how many big nations have not gone through,” Popovic reminded reporters afterwards. The message was clear: survival, not style points, was the currency of the night.
A teenager at the heart of it all
In a match short on chances, the story belonged to an 18-year-old central defender.
Lucas Herrington, Australia’s youngest ever starter at a men’s World Cup, took his place in the back line and played as if this stage had always been his. Popovic, a former Crystal Palace defender who knows a thing or two about life at the back, did not hide his admiration.
“He is a special talent,” he said, explaining that Herrington wasn’t in the squad to “just make up the numbers” but to be trusted when it mattered most. This was that moment: third group game, qualification on the line, no room for error.
Herrington, who plays in Major League Soccer and has already been linked with Barcelona, justified every ounce of that faith. Positionally sharp, composed on the ball, unflustered under pressure – it was the sort of performance that turns a promising prospect into a headline name.
Popovic even revealed the teenager had been frustrated to miss minutes against the United States. For a coach building a new core, that hunger is gold. “Today he was outstanding,” he concluded, and there was no argument.
A stalemate that suited everyone
The match itself will not live long in the memory. There were no wild swings of momentum, no late twists, no heroic last-ditch blocks to define the contest. It was a slow burn that never quite caught fire.
Australia kept their structure, moved the ball with patience, and squeezed the life out of Paraguay’s attacks. The South Americans, also content with the outcome, rarely overcommitted. Both sides understood the maths. Both played accordingly.
Popovic later spoke of domination in a “crucial World Cup qualifier with a very young squad,” and while the game never truly opened up, his team did show the control and calm he demanded. Composure. Patience. Resilience. Those were the qualities he picked out, and they were exactly what the occasion required.
Eyes on Dallas and the knockout test ahead
The reward is clear: a last-32 tie on July 3 at the air-conditioned home of the Dallas Cowboys, against whoever finishes second in Group G.
That pool – Egypt, Iran, Belgium and regional rivals New Zealand – is still taking shape. Australia can only watch, wait, and plan. The opponent will come later. The opportunity is already here.
“We’re delighted to have this break,” Popovic said, looking ahead to a full week to reset and rebuild. He spoke of a “good plan” to have every fit player ready to “produce a big performance” that might carry Australia even deeper into the tournament.
The group stage has delivered a shock, a setback and, now, a professional stalemate. The next step will demand something more.
Dallas will ask a simple question of this young Australian side: is grinding it out enough, or are they ready to do something truly special?
