World Cup Now: Man of the Match for Australia vs. Tunisia

Australia got its first win of the tournament Saturday by beating Tunisia 1-0 at Al Janoub Stadium. Mitchell Duke scored the lone goal of the match, but were there any other standout performers?

Former United States men’s national team players DaMarcus Beasley and Jimmy Conrad each picked their Man of the Match on “World Cup Now.”

Beasley: Mitchell Duke

Duke was the goal-scorer. You really can’t look further than that. He’s a big strong guy, he held the ball when he needed to, and he’s a fighter.

He got a little knock on his knee in the first half, got back up and still played a wonderful game. Goals win games. Mitchell Duke did that at a high level, and he scored a world-class goal.

Tunisia vs. Australia Highlights | 2022 FIFA World Cup

Mitchell Duke put in a no-look header into the back of the net, becoming the second Australian player to score on a header in the World Cup.

Conrad: Craig Goodwin

Goodwin scored in the first game against France — a well-taken goal to open the scoring and give them a little bit of hope early, only for them to give it back to the French — but in this game, he’s the one who set up the goal for Mitchell Duke.

Yes, it was a bit of a lucky deflection, but he got himself in a position to get that cross off. I thought he was very consistent in being able to drive the attack and allowing Australia to transition in meaningful ways, getting themselves into dangerous spots and ultimately let to opportunities for Australia.

As long as he continues to do that, Australia can be a force to be reckoned with.

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