Socceroos' Depth Tested in Final Home Matches

0:00Australia's soccer ruse wrapped up their final home matches before the World Cup with wins over Cameroon and Curacao. Coach Tony Popovic tested his squad depth, giving minutes to 23 of 26 players across the two games. The Sydney Clash Against Cameroon dragged before Jordy Baas scored late, while Curacao held firm until Starosav's flipped the script for a comfortable victory. Popovic shuffled the striker role without injured Moture, starting Dini Jurich both times before unleashing Nestorey Irankunda up top. The 20-year-old winger turned forward bag two goals against Curacao, showing his game-changing spark. Jordy Baas netted again, proving his left-wing backspot is locked, and Alessandro Circati headed home his first international goal to bolster the defense. Fans and analysts see bright spots in the headliners, but midfield duo Aiden O'Neal and Connor Metcalf struggled to control games. Youngster, Lucas Harrington, just 18, debuted with calm defending, hinting

1:01at future depth. Right-wing back and back up striker spots remain open questions after mixed trials. Popovic praised Irankunda's clear mindset and work ethic, stressing talent needs grit. He debuted an 18-year-old over four days and feels the progress builds confidence heading into club seasons. Injuries like Asian Rustic's hamstring tweak add uncertainty, but the core defense with Circati and Cameron Burgess look solid. With group foes like the USA and Paraguay looming tougher, Popovic's depth experiment sets up a real test. Now he watches club form to finalize that World Cup squad by June 1st, aiming for players healthy and firing.