Josh Nisbet entered the field with a smile on his face Tuesday night and he could not wipe it off at the end of the match after making his Subway Socceroos debut.
The Central Coast Mariners star earned his first cap in a 5-0 rout of Lebanon as Australia booked their spot in the third round of qualifying on the road to the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup.
Nisbet entered the fray in the 67th minute in front of a sell-out crowd in Canberra, where the occasion was not lost on the 24-year-old A-Leagues favourite post-match.
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“I imagined it as a kid but obviously it’s a big journey to get here and I’m very proud and happy to be here,” he told Network 10 with a smile.
Asked about his nerves before replacing Connor Metcalfe with 23 minutes remaining in the nation’s capital, Nisbet replied: “I was more excited.
“I didn’t really think about it. I told the boys that when I come on, I’d be smiling and make sure I’d enjoy it.”
Nisbet added: “I need to keep performing and make sure I’m at the top level. As long as I keep performing, I want to be here as much as I can.
“…It makes me even hungrier to get here.”
It was a successful outing for the Socceroos, who put Lebanon to the sword in a devastating second-half performance.
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Craig Goodwin scored a second-half double, while John Iredale celebrated his maiden international goal following a Bassel Jradi own goal after Kusini Yengi had opened the scoring inside two minutes.
Yengi’s opener was one to remember for a couple of reasons.
Not only was it his first for the Socceroos, but it was set up by former Adelaide United teammate Goodwin, who also provided the assist for Yengi’s first-ever Reds goal in March 2021.
“Me and Goodie have a great connection,” Yengi told Network 10. “We played together at Adelaide.
“He assisted my first professional goal at Adelaide. Now he’s assisted my first goal for the Socceroos. It’s an amazing moment for me and to have that moment with Goody is even more special.”
Asked about the celebration, which mirrored Goodwin’s trademark move, Yengi said: “It was my idea. I’ve done it with him before back in Adelaide and I thought it would be a nice moment.”
Yengi swapped Western Sydney Wanderers for League One outfit Portsmouth at the start of the season and he has not looked back.
The 25-year-old has scored 11 goals across all competitions for the promotion-chasing third-tier club in England.
Former Adelaide captain and 2022-23 Johnny Warren Medallist Goodwin also heaped praise on Yengi.
“Really, really happy for him. He’s gone across to England put in some really good performances there,” Goodwin told reporters.
“I’ve spent a lot of time with him at Adelaide. He is someone who has a really bright future ahead of him.
“As his game develops and starts to play more games and more consistency at that level, he is someone who has the potential to go very high in the game with the physical attributes eh has. If he can fine-tune some of the other areas, he is going to be very tough to handle.”
There were to other special moments at GIO Stadium on Wednesday night, including Patrick Yazbek’s debut and Iredale’s first goal for Australia.
Sydney FC academy graduate Yazbek, who now plays for Viking in Norway, was in the starting XI while another former Sky Blue – Iredale – came off the bench to bag his maiden goal in emotional scenes.
It was a goal set up by Yazbek and finished by Iredale.
Socceroos boss Graham Arnold was the coach of Sydney FC when Yazbek first joined the club’s youth set up in 2017, while Iredale made his debut for the A-Leagues club back in a 2017 Australia Cup fixture.
“We’re trying to regenerate the Socceroos squad while we’re playing World Cup qualifiers,” Arnold said in his post-match press conference. “Today I think we only had nine players who were at the World cup in Qatar. That’s how quickly it can change.
“But I believe in youngsters. Yazbek did exceptionally well when we came on. The energy and speed. It’s great for him to debut. What a memory for him.
“Iredale, he is a kid who has the x-factor. He probably needs more game time but again, that’s where we’re at. I’m trying to look at different number nines and like Yengi, he gives you a different style to what we have.”
