Jordy Bos Shines in Australia’s Draw Against Paraguay

Australia’s goalless draw with Paraguay won’t live long in the memory for its scoreline. For Jordy Bos, it might be the night his World Cup truly announced itself.

Shifted out of his comfort zone and onto the right of defence, the Feyenoord fullback didn’t just cope. He took the game by the scruff of the neck. He drove at defenders, overlapped relentlessly, and turned a seemingly cagey group-stage deadlock into his own personal showcase down the flank.

“He’s the best player in the world, Jordy Bos,” the teenage star declared after the 0-0 draw. “Best wing back in the world, and he’s so talented, but what a guy.”

Hyperbole? Of course. But it spoke to the mood in the Australian camp. Bos had just delivered another commanding display, this time on his “wrong” side, yet still found a way to dominate the attacking metrics: most chances created, most shots, most completed dribbles. On a night when the Socceroos booked their place in the round of 32, he was the one constantly trying to tilt the contest.

He did it in tandem with Cristian Volpato, the pair combining sharply down the right, Bos often popping up so high he looked more winger than wing back. Irankunda, watching from the other side, could only admire how naturally his teammate adapted.

“He done so well at right back today,” Irankunda said, “but he got so high up the pitch today, and he showed glimpses of what he can do with the ball. We’ve always known Jordy for doing great things, and today he was incredible.”

The comparisons came quickly. Some saw shades of Gareth Bale, the Welshman who began life as a fullback before exploding into a superstar at Real Madrid. Bos’s own football education, though, ran through the left boot of a different icon.

He grew up watching Arjen Robben.

“Unfortunately, I didn’t score like him, but I tried, tried my hardest,” Bos said. “I think I could have scored a couple, but I think from now on if everyone puts their best foot forward and we get chances, we just have to finish it. The sky’s the limit.”

The scoreline said stalemate. Bos’s performance suggested something far more promising for Australia’s future.

Herrington steps out of the shadows

While Bos tore forward on one side of the back three, another story was quietly unfolding on the opposite flank.

Lucas Herrington, just 18, walked into the starting XI and straight into the record books as the youngest Australian ever to start a World Cup match, snatching the honour from his own teammate Irankunda. No fuss. No theatrics. Just a poised, assured debut in one of the sport’s most unforgiving arenas.

If the moment overawed him, he hid it well.

“It’s my first World Cup at 18. It’s in probably everyone’s best interest for a young player just to watch and observe the first couple of games,” Herrington said after the Paraguay match. “I’m just grateful my opportunity came out and I really enjoyed it. I loved it every minute.”

His rise has been rapid. Big European clubs have already circled, with Barcelona among those monitoring his progress. That kind of attention can warp a young career in an instant, but Herrington spoke with the calm of someone determined to keep his feet on the ground.

“I’m here at the World Cup, so that’s my main focus. I just want to help the team as much as possible, and we can deal with that after,” he said.

Irankunda knows exactly what that whirlwind feels like. Signed by Bayern Munich at 17, he has lived the hype and the noise. His advice to Herrington was blunt and protective.

“He’s so talented and I feel like this is just a glimpse of what he can do, a small glimpse of what he can do, and I feel like he can just get better from here and I feel like we’ll see a better side to him,” Irankunda said. “I’ve just told him to try to stay away from it [the speculation around his future].”

Herrington had to wait for his chance, watching from the bench in Australia’s first two games of the tournament. When it finally came, he didn’t chase the occasion. He absorbed it.

Patience, then presence. The kind of temperament that tends to travel well in European football.

Australia leaves the group stage with a clean sheet against Paraguay and a ticket to the round of 32. The bigger story, though, might be the two young bookends of that back line.

On one side, Bos, marauding and fearless, evoking memories of great attacking fullbacks and talking about “the sky’s the limit” with the conviction of someone who might just mean it.

On the other, Herrington, measured and mature, already learning to block out the noise as Europe knocks louder on the door.

If this is only a glimpse, as Irankunda insists, what happens when these two stop glimpsing and start taking centre stage for good?