- Olyroos needed to finish third to reach the Olympics
- He couldn’t escape the group stage because he couldn’t score a goal.
- Meanwhile, Irankunda scored for Adelaide in their final A-League game.
Football analysts have criticized Olyroos’ decision to leave out Bayern Munich by signing Nestory Irankunda for crucial Olympic qualifying matches while Australia failed to earn a place in Paris.
Australia will not be represented in the men’s football tournament at this year’s Olympic Games after the Olyroos’ weak AFC Under-23 Asian Cup campaign came to an end with a 0-0 draw against the host of the tournament, Qatar.
Needing a win to have any hope of reaching the quarter-finals and keeping their slim chances of qualifying for the Paris Olympics alive, the Olyroos again failed to find the back of the net.
The Australians finished the tournament without scoring, having drawn 0-0 with Jordan and lost 1-0 to Indonesia in their two previous Group A matches.
The Olyroos’ failure to score a goal in three games once again raises questions over the decision not to include A-League prodigy and Bayern Munich-bound teenager Nestory Irankunda in the squad.
The Australians failed to score a single goal in the AFC U-23 Asian Cup, costing them a place at the Paris Olympics.
Olyroos captain Jacob Italiano had a golden opportunity two minutes before the break, but his shot went over the bar.
The Olyroos have been criticized for leaving out Bayern Munich by signing Nestory Irankunda, who scored a goal for Adelaide in their last A-League game.
Irankunda, 18, was not selected by Olyroos coach Tony Vidmar for the Asian Cup after rival men’s A-League clubs privately lobbied for the young star to be recalled.
Irankunda was reportedly ruled out at 11am as a replacement for Melbourne City’s Marco Tilio through injury, but turned down the opportunity.
That led clubs to believe the young star was dictating his availability, however his Adelaide coach Carl Veart denied those claims and said Irankunda had never been chosen.
Former Socceroo and media analyst Craig Foster said the decision to leave out the Adelaide United wonderkid was part of the reason the Olyroos were left out of contention.
“It is a great shame that the Olyroos miss Paris 2024. Non-qualification is an important moment to review performance, technical level, progression and review Irankunda’s situation. Congratulations to Indonesian football. Excellent,” he published.
A-League commentator Teo Pellizzeri said the surprise decision to leave out Irankunda had masked other problems in the team.
“Difficult, yes. Did I ever imagine that it would be difficult to be eliminated in the group stage without scoring goals?” What a disappointing Olyroos campaign,” he posted.
“Not electing Irankunda has almost come full circle as a public relations masterstroke, as it has diverted attention from everything else that went wrong.”
Instead, Irankunda was back in Australia playing his final game for Adelaide United and scored another stellar goal as a parting gift before heading to the big leagues with Bayern Munich.
The closest the Australians came to scoring against Qatar was in the 75th minute, when substitute Keegan Jelacic had a shot deflected off the post by goalkeeper Ali Nader Mahmoud.
Olyroos captain Jacob Italiano also had a good chance two minutes before the break, but his shot went over the bar.
Even if the Olyroos had won the match, it would not have been enough to reach the quarter-finals, as Indonesia’s 4-1 victory against Jordan allowed them to pick up six points and secure second place in Group A and advance to the quarter finals. with the group champion Qatar, who finished with seven points.
The Olyroos finished third in the group with two points, one more than Jordan.
Nations that finish the tournament in the top three will qualify for the Olympics, while the fourth-place team will face fourth-place African nation Guinea in a playoff for a place in Paris.