Sydney FC defender Hayden Matthews debuted for the Subway Socceroos in their wild and dramatic 2-2 draw against Bahrain in 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup qualifying.
The 20-year-old Isuzu UTE A-League young gun became Socceroo number 648 in Riffa, where Bahrain scored twice in as many second-half minutes to turn the match on its head before Kusini Yengi rescued a point in the 95th minute.
Matthews – in the starting XI alongside Sydney team-mate Anthony Caceres and Melbourne City captain Aziz Behich – played a key pass in the lead up to Australia’s opening goal inside 40 seconds on Wednesday (AEDT).
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“Very delighted, proud of the boys, proud of the opportunity that they’ve been provided,” said Sydney FC head coach Ufuk Talay of Matthews and Caceres. ” I thought they both did well, considering it was their first start for the Socceroos. So hopefully many more to come.”
On Matthews, Talay added: “Our jobs as coaches are to create the environment where people can get better at what they do and grow in that environment.
“Obviously, players have certain attributes that they bring to the team and to themselves, and we provide the environment for them to actually flourish in that so he’s a confident boy in what he does.
“I think he has strong beliefs in his attributes that he has. He’ll definitely take that to another level, especially with the Socceroos, international football was another level as well. And for me, I believe the international football, the Socceroos, is the pinnacle of our game.
“So to be in that environment, I think is a great environment for a young player to be in.”
Melbourne Victory’s Jason Geria and Western Sydney Wanderers captain Brandon Borrello also came off the bench.
“Crazy game,” Socceroos head coach Tony Popovic told reporters. “We started very well. We scored a goal very early.
“We controlled the game every well in the first half. Bahrain didn’t have a chance on goal and we had some chances to get a second goal. You always feel a second goal in these conditions are necessary.
“It was an unbelievable finish from the Bahrain player to make it 1-1. Then quick two goals – it was a difficult moment for us but we showed a lot of character to come back and get an important point.”
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With the result, Popovic’s Socceroos remain second in Group C in Round 3 of World Cup qualifying – nine points behind Japan and a point ahead of Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and China.
Matthews’ international bow in the Middle East continued his rapid rise.
The significant career milestone represented an eight-year journey for Matthews, who is in the midst of his eighth season with the Sky Blues having joined the academy as a 12-year-old.
“It’s a pretty surreal feeling and a dream come true,” Matthews said at the time.
“It’s something I’ve imagined since I joined the Academy and having been with the club for the past eight years it’s really special.
Sydney also reportedly rejected bids from Europe amid growing interest in the talented centre-back.
Featured image: Football Australia
