Australia goalkeeper Mat Ryan had a moment to forget as he gifted Julian Alvarez the simplest of finishes to double Argentina’s lead in Saturday’s last-16 clash at the World Cup. The former Brighton and Arsenal stopper was selected to start between the sticks for the Socceroos but did not produce his finest performance over the course of the match at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium.
Ryan conceded his first goal of the match shortly before half-time when Lionel Messi opened the scoring with a fine finish from the edge of the box to mark his 1,000th professional match in some style. The Australia goalkeeper went on to drop a huge clanger after the interval when he allowed Alvarez to slide the ball into an empty net after failing to bring a simple pass under control.
Australia were knocking it around at the back before Ryan was picked out by one of his defenders, but the 30-year-old’s heavy first touch saw the ball roll away from him under pressure from Argentina’s forward line. Alvarez went on to snatch it away from his opposite number before twisting and turning into space and sending a low shot into the back of the net from close range.
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