Alessandro Circati has been made to wait for his Subway Socceroos’ debut, but on Wednesday morning against New Zealand he put in an assured performance in defence.
The centre-back played a role at both ends of the pitch, key in keeping a clean sheet while also contributing to Australia’s first goal.
A ball lofted in towards the back post from the left found the Parma youngster, who nodded it back across goal, where Mitch Duke fired a strike off Harry Souttar to score.
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It got Graham Arnold’s team off to the perfect start and demonstrated what Circati can offer.
Circati explained it was a familiar motion for him in a comfortable first Socceroos’ outing.
“I felt comfortable. I felt like I’d been playing with these boys for many years,” he said.
“The ball came to me - I’ve done that many times now and today I knocked it in and the ball’s gone in the back of the net.”
Circati said he was delighted to earn his first minutes for the team with competitive fixtures on the horizon.
Competition for places is high in the Australian backline, with Cameron Burgess recently coming into the fold to partner Harry Souttar.
He shared what coach Arnold said to him ahead of his debut.
Tweet: https://twitter.com/Socceroos/status/1714333548151521377
“This is my third camp with the boys, and my time’s come. I’m very happy we won and also happy for my first game for the Socceroos,” Circati said.
“He told me this morning, and his message was just to play how you play with your club, and I felt like I’ve done exactly that.”
Circati had the guiding presence of Souttar next to him for his debut, and the Leicester City man was impressed with what he saw.
“I thought he was first class. Playing against a Premier League striker in Chris Wood is not easy because he gives anyone a hard game. He’s physical. He can hold the ball up,” Souttar said.
“Everything he did in terms of when he was on the ball, his movement off the ball covering me, which is always nice to have a defender that does that.
“He was so comfortable in possession. Breaking lines, and he only turned 20 the other day, so a really bright future for him.”
Australia’s next task sees them face Bangladesh in the first World Cup qualifier for the 2026 tournament, with Circati seeking to cement his place in Arnold’s plans.