Group D's second match saw Australia defeat Turkey two goals to nil, in what could be considered the first upset of the tournament.

Vincenzo Montella decided to start the match without Juventus youngster Kenan Yıldız, a decision that seemingly came out of the blue, after the 21-year-old had been dubbed a 'player-to-watch' leading up to the tournament.

The first half started as a cagey affair, and it was clear both sides were trying to find their feet on the world's biggest stage. The Crescent Stars had the majority of possession in the opening stages, but Australia were by no means sitting back and soaking up pressure.

The breakthrough came in the 27th minute for the Socceroos, after an explosive counter spearheaded by Nestroy Irankunda saw the 20-year-old latch onto a long ball and calmly slot the ball past Uğurcan Çakır, giving his nation the lead against one of the group favourites.

 Türkiye almost hit back instantly, with Abdulkerim Bardakci striking the woodwork with a long-range shot just three minutes after Australia's opener.

However, the half ended with Australia taking a one-nil lead into the break and threatening an upset in their opening game of the tournament. Türkiye's first half performance was toothless, and would need a moment of magic to unlock their opponents backline.

Yıldız was introduced to the field at the start of the second-half, in an attempt by Montella to put pressure on the Aussies right-hand side. The second period began in a similar manner to the first with Türkiye having a lot of the ball, but failing to create any meaningful chances.

The second half did see Australia drop deeper as a unit to protect their solitary lead, having to put their bodies on the line on multiple occasions to stop shots coming in on goal.

However, once again, the Socceroos struck against the run of play, and Connor Metcalfe gave his country a two goal lead after driving through the centre of the pitch and unleashing a ferocious effort into the bottom-right corner of the goal to send the Aussie fans into raptures. 

The Socceroos proceeded to deal with everything their opponents threw at them comfortably, seeing out the match and picking up a huge three points against one of Group D's strongest sides on paper.

Australia proved once again why the shouldn't be overlooked by any opponent, and have made themselves a serious contender for qualification in Group D after today's result.

In previous competitions the Socceroos have been solid defensively but lack a creative spark going forward, but the addition of Nestroy Irankunda this year  has injected a much needed element of pace to the side offensively. His direct dribbling is exactly what Australia need to catch teams out on the break, just like they did against Turkiye.

Even after the introduction of Kenan Yildiz, the Australian backline held firm, and weathered the Turks pressure down the right-hand side throughout the game, making some of Europe's top young talents seem mediocre.

In-between the sticks, Patrick Beach had an outstanding game for his nation, making eight vital saves when Turkiye managed to break the lines. The 22-year-old goalkeeper will certainly be key in his countries World Cup campaign, and may even attract a few eyes from European clubs if they can make a run deep into the tournament.

Connor Metcalfe's goal cemented an incredible opening game for the Aussie's, as they hit their opponents on the break once again, in a sucker-punch blow which ensured a two-goal cushion which was insurmountable for the Turks.

It was not the way the Turks would have wanted to mark their return to the World Cup after a 22-year absence from the tournament, and it is a result that puts a huge amount of pressure on the side for their final two fixtures.

Vincenzo Montella is likely regretting the decision he made not to start Kenan Yıldız against Australia, as his side lacked a cutting edge in front of goal that unfortunately cost them any hope of getting back into the game.

At the back, the Turks couldn't seem to handle the pace of the break that Australia attacked with. The likes of Connor Metcalfe and Irankunda caused havoc amongst the backline whenever they went forward.

The Crescent Stars' play was generally tidy but lacked any consistent threat to the Socceroos' backline, who ensured they would not be beaten and proved too strong for their opponents.  

It is a performance that will definitely worry Turkiye fans across the globe, as it seems their nation lacks an out-and-out striker that can score them goals at this year's tournament, and if they can't find a solution fast, they could be in for a disappointing campaign.

The result has blown Group D wide-open, just two games in, and has thrusted Australia into talks for a top-spot finish. They will seemingly have to battle the USA for the place, after the host nation put in a dominant performance against Paraguay yesterday.

For Türkiye, they will have to regroup and go again. Vincenzo Montella has six days to come up with a game plan that will allow his side to open up a Paraguay side that conceded four in their opening game.

Even after coming off the back of a poor performance, the Crescent Stars will be expected to pick up three points against the South American side, and after today's result, they cannot afford anything less.

For this game's victors, they come up against the USA in their next match, which promises to be a thriller if the nation's first two games are anything to go by, and the outcome of the match will give a huge indicator of which team will likely top Group D.