Aussies Abroad: Arsenal debut for Ryan as Boyle fires home brace for Hibernian
Maty Ryan achieved his boyhood dream after he made his Arsenal debut against Aston Villa over the weekend as Martin Boyle spurred his Hibernian to victory in the Scottish Premiership.
One of the most pivotal moments in Ryan’s career arrived on Saturday after he made his debut for Arsenal in their Premier League clash at Villa Park.
The Socceroos goalkeeper did not get the start he would have hoped for – conceding after just 74 seconds following a raft of defensive errors.
However, he managed to put the nightmare start behind him and went on to produce a string of superb saves with his late diving stop to deny Jack Grealish proving to be top of the bunch.
Ryan expressed his delight at debuting for his boyhood club on Twitter, but insisted he is focused on the next match.
"Wanted it so badly to be the perfect start with a win and clean sheet, gutted it didn’t eventuate," wrote Ryan.
He added: "Proud moment today, but already focused on our next objective(s). Thank you all for the wishes for my debut and the warm welcome."
Heading to Scotland where Boyle was at his best for Hibernian, helping himself to a double to spearhead his side to a 2-0 win against Aberdeen.
The Socceroos striker collected the man of the match award for his performance which saw him grab two goals either side of the interval.
He broke the deadlock just before the half hour mark when he rifled home from the penalty spot before crafting the ball into the net from a challenging angle in the 67th minute.
Boyle’s latest eye-catching performance wraps up an impressive fortnight which has seen him notch four goals and an assist in his last three matches.
Hibs boss Jack Ross complimented Boyle on his recent form after making the decision to play him in a more central role in their last few matches.
“He’s effective when he plays there. He looks at his best and at his sharpest. He might be a little frustrated that he didn’t get more goals today but again the contribution from him was excellent,” Ross told HIBS TV in his post-match interview.
It turned out to be a much less positive outing for Jackson Irvine with a hefty collision seeing him last until the 67th minute.
Elsewhere, Tom Rogic had a productive match for Celtic as they sealed a 2-1 win at home to Motherwell.
In the Championship, Harry Souttar was in fine form for Stoke City as they held Reading to a 0-0 stalemate.
Souttar instantly repaid Stoke’s faith in him, delivering a defensive masterclass after signing a contract extension with the club earlier in the week.
To top it off, the Socceroos defender was also named in the Championship’s team of the week.
James Jeggo and his Aris Thessaloniki sealed a momentous victory in the Greek Super League as they beat AEK Athens 2-0.
The three points sees Jeggo’s side leapfrog both AEK and their crosstown rivals PAOK as they finish the weekend in 2nd place.
It was a night to forget for Danny Vukovic after his Genk fell to a 2-1 defeat against Anderlecht in the Belgian Pro League.
Trent Sainsbury came on for the final stages of Kortrijk’s 3-0 win against Royal Excel Mouscron on Friday night.
The routine win may prove invaluable to his side’s survival bid as they distance themselves from the drop zone.
In the Danish Superligaen, Daniel Arzani came off the bench in the 90th minute to make his debut for AGF Aarhus as they won 1-0 at home to Lyngby.
Mathew Leckie played the final nine minutes for Hertha Berlin as they went down 1-0 to Bayern Munich in their Bundesliga affair.
Meanwhile, Ajdin Hrustic was an unused substitute for Eintracht Frankfurt as they ran out 3-1 winners at Hoffenheim.
Nikita Rukavytsya was forced off with an injury in the 35th minute as his Maccabi Haifa suffered a 1-0 defeat at FC Ashdod in the Israeli Premier League.
Heading to Turkey where Aziz Behich put in a full shift for Kayserispor as they came from behind to draw 1-1 with relegation rivals Erzurum BB.
Milos Degenek featured for FK Crvena Zvezda as they recommenced their SuperLiga season with a 3-1 win against Novi Pazar.
It was a welcome return to action for Brandon O’Neill as the Thai League resumed following a COVID-19 enforced hiatus.
O’Neill’s Buriram United restarted their campaign on the best possible note as they secured a 3-0 win against fellow highflyers Ratchaburi on Saturday.
In League One, Bailey Wright played the full game for Sunderland as they drew 2-2 at MK Dons while Kenny Dougall played 82 minutes for Blackpool as they were outdone 2-0 against Ipswich Town.