Beach's dream is Ryan's nightmare, and Schwarzer can relate to both

Pat Beach's dream is Mat Ryan's nightmare, and Mark Schwarzer can relate to both Mon 15 Jun 2026 at 6:20am No Socceroos goalkeeper has experienced the highs and lows of a World Cup campaign quite like Mark Schwarzer. - Analysis: The Socceroos' greatest ever World Cup gamble just paid off - Quick hits: Irankunda's stunning strike and Beach's brilliance - Check out the full World Cup schedule here in Australian times - ABC Sport podcast: The father-son Socceroo story to make you smile The Australian legend, whose penalty shootout saves sent his country to the 2006 World Cup, played the first two games at that tournament in Germany before being controversially dropped for Zejlko Kalac in the crucial third match against Croatia. As a result, Schwarzer can relate to both of Australia's current goalkeepers — Pat Beach, who has become a new national hero after an inspired display, and Mat Ryan, who was a shock omission for the game against Türkiye. At 22 years old and making just his third international start, Beach's inclusion came as a shock to most. But by the time he was done, having made eight saves in Australia's 2-0 win, nobody was questioning coach Tony Popovic. "Patrick Beach, I mean, I take my hat off to him because the guy was outstanding," Schwarzer told ABC Sport Daily's World Cup podcast. "He was put in an incredibly pressurised position. "The manager obviously believed in him 100 per cent because otherwise he would never have put him in that position." The highlight of Beach's day was an outrageous fingertip save from a sizzling Abdulkerim Bardakci shot in the first half. Diving full-length to his right, Beach somehow managed to tip Bardakci's goal-bound shot onto the post. "I mean, his save in the first half. I was watching the commentary here in the US, and they didn't even comment on it," Schwarzer said. "And once they did actually see it, it was a bit afterwards like, 'Oh yeah, a good save from the goalkeeper.' "I'm like, 'Hang on a second. That save was world-class! It was a game-saving, game-changing save.''' But while Beach enjoyed his evening in the sun, Socceroos captain and incumbent goalkeeper Mat Ryan watched the action from the bench. It's a feeling Schwarzer can relate to, and he knows that while Ryan will be delighted for his team, he will still be hurting. "I've been there, I know what that feels like. It's tough," Schwarzer said. "I think he'll have so many mixed emotions. He's a very experienced guy. He's had setbacks before, and he's been left out before. It's not the first time it's happened to him. "It's the first time it's happened to him in a World Cup, though, so that's the big thing. "He's just gotta get his head down, he's got to work hard. The difficulty for him, and I say this respectfully, is that because Patrick played so well, it's like 'Well, I'm not going to play the next game.' "He's going to celebrate the victory obviously and how big it is, but deep down you feel like you should've been, could've been, would've been part of it. "Even though you are part of it, you're on the periphery a little bit." At the other end of the pitch, Schwarzer was as taken as the rest of us by the performance of man-of-the-match Nestory Irankunda. Irankunda's opening goal — a mix of explosive pace, ingenuity with the ball and composure in front of goal — was to Schwarzer yet more proof this young Socceroo is destined for the very top. "He is something special. "There's a little bit of a rogue side to him. But I tell you what, when he plays football, and when he plays like that, he scares the living daylights out of everyone. "Türkiye are a good side, a very good side. They didn't know how to deal with him. "I think he can get to almost any height if he really puts his mind to it."