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Apostolos Stamatelopoulos celebrates his goal.

Sydney FC win, but the A-League’s best derby has lost its sparkle

Goals from Al Hassan Toure and Apostolos Stamatelopoulos have boosted the Sky Blues’ finals prospects - but the poor crowd is a reflection of how far this fixture has fallen.

  • Vince Rugari

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Paul Okon jnr.

His dad is a former Socceroos captain, but Paul Okon jnr is no nepo baby

With his father part of the coaching staff, scrutiny was always coming – but the budding Sydney FC midfielder has more than earned his place in the national team.

  • Vince Rugari
Sam Kerr at the final whistle in the Asian Cup final.

‘It sucks’: Sam Kerr is still digesting Matildas’ Asian Cup heartbreak

It’s been less than three weeks since Sam Kerr and the Matildas lost the Asian Cup final to Japan – and they’re still not over it.

  • Vince Rugari
Socceroos World Cup hopefuls.

Who’s on the plane? Piecing together the Socceroos’ World Cup squad puzzle

Here’s our read of the lay of the land: who’s a lock for Tony Popovic’s 26-man squad, and who’s battling it out for the last few spots in Australia’s World Cup squad.

  • Vince Rugari
Zeki Celik, Arda Guler and Mert Muelduer celebrate Turkey’s qualification for the World Cup.

Ersan chose Turkey over the Socceroos. This is how he sees the World Cup opener playing out

It was an easy decision for Ersan Gulum to pick Turkey over Australia. But picking the winner in the World Cup match between his two countries is a bit harder.

  • Vince Rugari
Nestory Irankunda of Australia throws on a silver glove and performs a Michael Jackson dance after scoring on Tuesday night.

Fits like a glove: Socceroo’s MJ celebration goes viral; Juric won’t stress over World Cup spot

Nestory Irankunda was in the thick of the final flurry of goals, putting the exclamation mark on a 5-1 victory with unique flair.

  • Scott Spits and Roy Ward
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The celebrations flowed for Nestory Irankunda.

Friendly farewell: Irankunda double fires Australia to 5-1 win over Curacao

Nestory Irankunda scored a second-half double as Australia thrashed Curacao 5-1 in a Melbourne friendly, giving fans a sweet farewell in their final home match before heading overseas to continue their World Cup buildup.

  • Scott Spits and Vince Rugari
Socceroos head coach Tony Popovic.

The Socceroos love playing for Australia. Why doesn’t Australia love them back?

This is the most likeable group of players in many years, and their potential is enormous. A sixth consecutive World Cup beckons. So why does it feel like people aren’t that interested?

  • Vince Rugari
Lucas Herrington chases the ball on international debut.

‘This kid just gets on with it’: A teenage World Cup bolter emerges for Socceroos

On Friday night, Lucas Herrington became the youngest Socceroos defender to debut in more than 40 years - and he looked like he’d been playing international football for about that long. Remember the name.

  • Vince Rugari
Nestory Irankunda.

Bos strikes late as Socceroos warm up for World Cup with win over Cameroon

Australia’s display was broadly uninspiring, and clear-cut chances were few and far between, with improvements to make against Curacao in Melbourne on Tuesday.

  • Emma Kemp