- Olyroos had to finish third to reach the Olympic Games
- Couldn’t escape the group stage after not scoring a goal
- Meanwhile, Irankunda scored for Adelaide in his final A-League match
Football analysts have left out Olyroos’ decision to omit Bayern Munich and sign Nestory Irankunda for crucial Olympic qualifiers, while Australia failed to secure a place in Paris.
Australia will not be represented at this year’s Olympic Games men’s football tournament after Olyroos’ lackluster AFC under-23 Asian Cup campaign ended with a 0-0 draw against tournament hosts Qatar.
Needing a win to have any hope of reaching the quarter-finals and keeping alive their slim chance of qualifying for the Paris Olympics, the Olyroos once again failed to find the back of the net.
The Australians finished the tournament without scoring, having drawn 0-0 against Jordan and losing 1-0 to Indonesia in their previous two Group A matches.
The Olyroos’ inability to score a goal in three games is once again raising questions over the decision not to include A-League prodigy and Bayern Munich-bound teenager Nestory Irankunda in the squad.
The Aussies failed to score a single goal at the AFC Under-23 Asian Cup, costing them a place at the Paris Olympics
Olyroos captain Jacob Italiano had a golden opportunity two minutes before half-time, but his shot flew over the crossbar.
The Olyroos have been criticized for leaving out Bayern Munich by signing Nestory Irankunda, who scored a goal for Adelaide in his last A-League game
18-year-old Irannunda was not selected for the Asian Cup by Olyroos coach Tony Vidmar after rival A-League Men clubs privately pushed for the young star’s sacking.
It was reported that Irankunda was probed at the 11th hour as an injury replacement for Melbourne City’s Marco Tilio, but he turned down the opportunity.
That led clubs to believe the young star dictated his availability, but his Adelaide coach Carl Veart denied the claims and said Irankunda was never picked.
Former Socceroo and media analyst Craig Foster said the decision to leave out the Adelaide United wonderkid was part of the reason the Olyroos crashed out of contention.
‘It is a great shame that the Olyroos will miss Paris 2024. Failure to qualify is an important moment to assess the performance, technical level, progression and situation in Irankunda. Big congratulations to Indonesian football. Excellent,” he posted.
A-League commentator Teo Pellizzeri said the stunning decision to leave Irannunda out had masked the other problems in the squad.
‘Difficult yes – did I ever think that I would succeed in the group stage without having difficulty scoring? What a disappointing Olyroos campaign,” he posted.
“Not choosing Irankunda has almost come full circle as a PR masterpiece because it has diverted attention from everything else that has gone wrong.”
Instead, Irankunda was back home in Australia playing his last game for Adelaide United, producing another great goal as a parting gift before heading to the big leagues with Bayern Munich.
The Australians came closest to scoring against Qatar in the 75th minute when substitute Keegan Jelacic had a shot hit the post by goalkeeper Ali Nader Mahmoud.
Olyroos captain Jacob Italiano also had a good chance two minutes before half-time, but his shot flew over the crossbar.
Even if the Olyroos had won the match, it wouldn’t have been enough to reach the last eight. Indonesia’s 4-1 win over Jordan took them to six points and secured second spot in Group A and progression to the quarter-finals. with group winner Qatar, which finished with seven points.
The Olyroos finished third in the group with two points, one more than Jordan.
The countries that finish the tournament in the top three will qualify for the Olympic Games, while the fourth-placed team will meet fourth-placed African country Guinea in a play-off for a spot in Paris.