Mat Ryan has delivered a timely reminder of his goalkeeping prowess ahead of the World Cup, producing a spectacular penalty save that helped lift Levante off the bottom of La Liga.
Ryan is the Socceroos' third-most capped player of all time, with 101 games.
The 33-year-old was left on the bench for a pair of friendlies last November, with Tony Popovic preferring to give Patrick Beach and Paul Izzo a platform to make their own case for World Cup selection.
But Sunday's double save in Spain showed why Ryan is on track for his fourth World Cup and widely tipped to be between the posts for Australia's tournament opener on June 14.
With his team leading 2-0, Ryan's trailing legs blocked Sevilla attacker Isaac Romero's spot kick in the second minute of second-half stoppage time.
The rebound presented Romero an open net, but his diving header was saved by a springing Ryan, who recovered to batter the ball out of harm's way.
Carlos Alvarez scored Levante's third goal soon after, completing an upset 3-0 win in their first game under new Portuguese coach Luís Castro.
It was the Valencia-based club's third clean sheet and their third win from 17 league matches, snapping a run of eight rounds without a victory.
Ryan's penalty save against Sevilla was the 12th of his career.
The veteran's previous save came during his 100th match for the Socceroos, when he helped formally seal progression to the World Cup in a 2-1 win over Saudi Arabia last June.
Ryan's status as first-choice keeper at Levante, paired with his good form, will no doubt catch Popovic's eye.
Popovic has not been afraid to give other goalkeepers a chance since taking over from a less experimental Graham Arnold in 2024.
Randers FC stopper Izzo has made the most notable impact during his four games under Popovic, but Melbourne City's Patrick Beach and Port Vale's Joe Gauci have also impressed.
However, Ryan is notably the only Australian goalkeeper earning minutes in a top five European league.
The former Central Coast star has history in the Spanish top flight, with Real Sociedad and Valencia among the 11 European outfits for which he has played.
But he had been without a club since May before joining Levante in August on a one-year deal.
Fellow goalkeeping great Mark Schwarzer has backed Ryan to relish the challenge of battling Izzo for the No.1 spot in North America.
"I'm not writing anyone off right now, and Maty's been a phenomenal number one," Schwarzer said recently.
"Who's to say he won't continue to be number one for many years to come?
"Maty's an incredibly hard-working, very, very professional guy."
