Socceroos captain Maty Ryan revealed he had no idea he would be replacing Patrick Beach in Australia's World Cup penalty shootout loss to Egypt until minutes before it happened. Beach, who was one of the tournament's standout performers, also had no prior knowledge and expressed disappointment at missing the chance to deny Egypt.
Shock Substitution Before Shootout
The crowd at Dallas Stadium was stunned when Beach, who had just made a crucial save to keep the score at 1-1 and force extra time, was substituted for Ryan just before the penalty shootout. The move drew comparisons to Netherlands coach Louis Van Gaal's decision to bring on Tim Krul for a shootout win over Costa Rica in 2014, but the result was starkly different.
Ryan, who was famously replaced by Andrew Redmayne for penalties in 2022 World Cup qualifying, failed to save any of Egypt's four successful spot-kicks, while Harry Souttar and Lucas Herrington missed their attempts, resulting in a 4-2 loss.
Ryan's Reaction
“I first got word (when) myself and (Paul) Izzo, the other goalkeeper, were told to stay warm just before half time of extra time,” Ryan said. “I got told that if we weren’t going to make any more subs, that right at the end they’d put me in there. I prepared, of course, as if I was going to play before the game, or as if I was going to be in that scenario - as I always do. But unfortunately, (I’m) hurting at the moment because I wasn’t able to produce for myself, for my teammates, and for the country. Hurting would be an understatement.”
Beach's Perspective
Beach, 22, had usurped Ryan as starting goalkeeper before the World Cup and delivered a stunning tournament. He learned of the substitution at the same time as the public. “I found out at the same time you guys did,” Beach said. “There’s obviously a plan that was put in place, and it wasn’t for us to know about. Our job is just to focus on the game and what’s happening in the moment. Obviously, there was a general decision and discussion that was had. And that’s it. The coaches made a decision. And, as far as it goes, Maty and I, he had to do the job; whatever works best for the team and brings the best outcome for our team. I would have loved to be in the penalty shootout. But like I said, that’s the decision that the boss has made. There’s no other feelings; I respect him and respect that decision.”
Coach Popovic's Explanation
Socceroos boss Tony Popovic said he leaned on Ryan's experience when making the call. “OK, it didn’t work, so we can look at many things in the reasons behind it,” Popovic said. “But Maty is experienced and I think if you look at his record in saving penalties, Patrick is new as a goalkeeper, not just in with the national team, but even in club football. And I just felt that Maty’s experience would be the difference. In the end it didn’t work out that way, but not, not because of Maty’s poor judgement or lack of ability. They took really good penalties.”
