AUSTRALIA’S World Cup round-of-32 clash with Egypt is personal for some of the Socceroos’ stars, including attacker Connor Metcalfe.
Connor Metcalfe has already had Egypt ruin one of his football dreams.
So the Socceroos attacker has no plans of letting the north African nation bring Australia’s World Cup journey to an end.
Australia’s senior international games against Egypt are limited to hitouts in 1987 and 2010.
But Metcalfe, Harry Souttar and Cameron Devlin were in the Olyroos squad that suffered a heartbreaking 2-0 loss to Egypt in Tokyo in 2021 that knocked them out of the Olympics.
That means the clash on Friday (4am Saturday AEST) in Arlington, Texas is personal.
“I remember that,” Metcalfe said on Sunday.
“It actually feels like a blur, to be honest.
“They were quite a big physical team. I just remember it being really humid and hot and we didn’t play our best game.
“They ruined our dream. So, yeah, I guess you could say it’s a bit of a revenge, personally.”
All eyes are on Egypt talisman Mohamed Salah, who is battling a left hamstring strain and is under a serious fitness cloud.
Egypt will be without suspended midfielder Mohanad Lasheen.
Metcalfe was among the Socceroos watching as Salah came off then Egypt held on for a 1-1 draw with Iran and locked in a clash with Australia.
“We’re excited, I mean, the game against Iran was pretty hectic at the end,” Metcalfe said.
“But we know the quality they’ve got, and we got to watch them play a bit, so we understand how they play in their mentality and their willingness on and off the ball.”
Egypt are a more aggressive prospect than Australia faced against Paraguay.
That could play in Australia’s favour if space is left in behind for the likes of Metcalfe and Nestory Irankunda to exploit.
“It could suit us, the way we set up. I think we’re pretty good off the counter, so I think that could shock them a little bit,” Metcalfe said.
“But we haven’t gone into that much detail.”
The Socceroos have taken a “why not us” approach to their dream of claiming an elusive World Cup knockout win – determined to enjoy a dream that could end at any moment.
“We’ve come so far. I don’t think anyone expected us to even get out of the group,” Metcalfe said.
“We’re all buzzing just to have this amazing achievement and be able to be in this knockout stage.
“We’re fully confident and after our performances, I think we’ve got a really good shot.”
Australia are currently ranked world No.28 with Egypt’s live ranking sitting at No.26, meaning the Socceroos can’t really lean into an underdog status.
“We thrive as being the underdogs, I feel like we always have, but I mean whatever the odds are – it doesn’t bother us,” Metcalfe said.
“But if we have to, I think against Paraguay, we showed that we can dominate a game with the ball.
“It was probably our best performance with the ball, and we were calm, and looking forward, I think we’ll be aiming to do the same thing.”
Metcalfe is also among the Socceroos to have experienced Dallas Stadium, home to the NFL’s Cowboys – having played a 2-2 draw with Mexico there in 2023.
“It’s an amazing stadium,” Metcalfe said.
“It was a bit of a weird one, because I remember for some reason they had a DJ playing during our game as well.
“I actually don’t know why, but every time Maty Ryan got the ball, they would just start playing a song, which I thought was a bit weird.
“But it’s an amazing stadium, the facilities are incredible … it’s pretty awesome.”
By Anna HARRINGTON, AAP
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