Newcastle United wonderkid Garang Kuol has opened up about his last-minute miss which almost ruined Lionel Messi’s evening. Argentina were forced to work for their 2-1 last-16 victory over Australia on Saturday night.
PSG superstar Messi - who scored the opener - ran the show for most of the game but the Socceroos were handed a lifeline with 13 minutes remaining. A heavy deflection halved the deficit to set up a grandstand finish at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium.
Australia pushed for an equaliser, with Lisandro Martinez’s last-ditch block thwarting a goal-of-the-tournament contender from Aziz Behich. However, Toon youngster Kuol blew a golden opportunity to pull his country level in the 97th minute.
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The 18-year-old - the youngest player to feature in a World Cup knockout game since Pele - found space six yards from goal. Supporters across the world thought Australia had scored a certain equaliser but a fantastic save from Emiliano Martinez kept the Argentines in front.
Speaking post-match, Kuol refused to stay too downbeat about his golden opportunity. He said: “It was pretty close. It was a tough one to not go in, and a good save. I didn’t really see much of (it)... I was turning around and just tried to shoot but, on the replay, I could see the keeper rushed out. I think it’s just a learning curve.
“I was telling myself that I’d come on and score a goal, and Arnie was telling me to come on and do the same thing. We both have the same expectations. When I wasn’t able to score I was very disappointed, but you sort of move on.”
Newcastle are expected to complete a move for Kuol in January before loaning him back to Central Coast Mariners. While cricket, rugby and Australian rules football dominate the sporting landscape in his country, “soccer” is continuing to grow.
The beautiful game is now the most played outdoor sport Down Under and Kuol believes it is only a matter of time before Australia have a competitive national team. He added: “People think (players) in Europe can fly or something. But we’re all humans, we’re all on two feet.
“I think the sport in Australia keeps growing, and it keeps producing better and better players as time goes by. In the future, you’ll see a team that’s at the same level as Argentina and Brazil.”
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