Socceroos coy on penalty preparations for World Cup knockout game

Wed 1 Jul 2026 at 5:26am

Wed 1 Jul 2026 at 5:26am

Two of the five completed World Cup knockout games have gone to penalties with the brutal nature of tournament soccer on full display.

Paraguay stunned Germany before Morocco beat the Netherlands in a shootout after a brilliant encounter in Monterrey.

Penalties could be on the cards for Australia when it faces Egypt in their Round of 32 clash in Dallas.

"You've got to be ready for that 90th-minute winner and you've got to be ready for a penalty shootout," Ajdin Hrustic said.

"That's what it takes to get through to the next stage."

Hrustic is no stranger to high-pressure penalties. In the 2022 Europa League final, he came on as an injury-time substitute for Eintracht Frankfurt and successfully converted his penalty to help the club beat Rangers.

Later that year, he also scored a penalty as the Socceroos beat Peru in a shootout to qualify for the Qatar World Cup.

But despite his experience, the winger is keeping his cards close to his chest.

"I'm not giving nothing away, but I'm calm," Hrustic said of his approach to taking spot kicks.

"If it [penalty shootout] comes, I'm ready. The boys will be ready and I'm sure the keepers will be ready too."

Australia has started preparing for the eventuality of a shootout, but Hrustic wouldn't be drawn on what that looked like.

"Ask the boss," he said.

"That's for us, right? That's something we will definitely be ready for."

Making the most of limited opportunities

Hrustic has been restricted to just 32 minutes so far in this World Cup, coming on as a second-half substitute in the nil-all draw with Paraguay.

But he's still enjoying every second he gets on the field.

"It was like my first cap. It's always special representing your country," Hrustic said.

"But at a World Cup, it's amazing. And I was waiting for this moment."

He has also been there when Australia's World Cup dream has ended, coming on against Argentina as the Socceroos went down 2-1 in their round-of-16 clash in Qatar.

His advice to his younger teammates is simple.

"You've got to be ready. You've got to enjoy it," Hrustic said.

"That's the biggest challenge. You've got to enjoy it. You can't forget to enjoy it.

"I think this is one of the main things for us. You've got to enjoy the moment and be ready for match day."

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