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Australia coach Tony Popovic criticised the officiating after the Socceroos suffered a 2-0 defeat to the United States in their FIFA World Cup 2026 Group D clash, saying referee Felix Zwayer did not have his "best day" as the co-hosts secured a place in the Round of 32.
The United States became the second team after Mexico to qualify for the knockout stage of the tournament. The United States maintained their perfect record with a second straight victory to move to six points and confirm qualification from the group, while Australia remained on three points despite the setback. "I think today was, I wouldn't say the best day for the referee," Popovic told reporters after the match, according to Fox Sports. The Australian coach's frustration centred on a controversial second American goal just before halftime. The hosts scored at the end of the 43rd minute when Alex Freeman, son of former NFL player Antonio Freeman, headed home after a free-kick situation. The goal was initially ruled out for offside, but after a VAR review, officials overturned the decision and awarded the goal. Australian players protested, believing their goalkeeper had been impeded or that an offside offence had occurred, but the review upheld the score and handed the United States a crucial advantage heading into the break. Tempers flared late in the match as tensions spilt over between the players. Australia's Harry Souttar and American forward Folarin Balogun were involved in a heated confrontation that required referee Zwayer's intervention. Yellow cards were shown to Balogun, Souttar and Australia's Jacob Italiano as order was restored. Australia finished the match with four bookings, while the United States received three yellow cards. Zwayer himself became an unlikely talking point when he appeared to suffer cramp in the closing stages. The 45-year-old German referee went down on the pitch and required assistance from players of both teams before resuming. Despite his criticism of the officiating, Popovic admitted Australia had been second best for much of the contest and said his side's slow start proved costly. "I don't know if it's the occasion, but we looked sluggish, heavy-legged ... They won every duel, they won every second ball, and when you do that, it makes it very difficult to gain any momentum. And then we conceded two soft goals," he said. "When you think, you know, this noise here -- host nation -- I think the players show how good they are in the second half, but obviously at this level, you can't give away that much in the first," he concluded. The victory left the United States top of Group D with six points from two matches. Australia stayed second on three points, while Paraguay's 1-0 win over Turkey kept them third in the standings heading into the final round of group-stage fixtures. (ANI)
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