Bos and Herrington Shine in Australia’s Draw Against Paraguay

Australia’s goalless draw with Paraguay might not live long in the memory for its scoreline, but it will for the way two young defenders quietly bent the night to their will.

The Socceroos booked their passage to the round of 32 with a performance built on control and courage, and at the heart of it stood Jordy Bos — on the “wrong” side of the pitch, playing as if he owned it.

Bos dominates from the opposite flank

Asked to line up on the right of defence rather than his favoured left, the Feyenoord fullback responded with the kind of display that makes teammates reach for superlatives.

"He's the best player in the world, Jordy Bos," Nestory Irankunda declared after the final whistle. Hyperbole? Maybe. But on this evidence, you understood the emotion.

Bos created more chances than anyone else in the match. He took more shots. He completed more dribbles. Every time Australia looked like breaking the deadlock, he was either carrying the ball at pace or combining down the flank with Cristian Volpato, stretching Paraguay until their back line creaked.

He did it all from a position that should have felt unfamiliar. It didn’t. He surged high up the pitch, stepped inside, overlapped outside, and kept demanding the ball. The comparison from within the camp was Gareth Bale — another fullback who grew into something far more dangerous.

Bos’s own footballing compass points somewhere else.

He grew up watching Arjen Robben, the Dutch winger who made a career out of cutting in from the right and deciding games. Bos couldn’t quite produce that trademark finish.

"Unfortunately, I didn't score like him, but I tried, tried my hardest," he 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."

On this form, it doesn’t sound like an empty slogan.

A new record, and a new calm, in Herrington

While Bos tore forward on one side, the other half of Australia’s back-three delivered a very different kind of statement.

Lucas Herrington didn’t arrive with the same noise, but he left with a slice of history. At 18, he became the youngest Australian ever to start a World Cup match, taking the record from his own teammate Irankunda.

No fuss. No theatrics. Just a composed debut that hinted at why several of Europe’s heavyweights, including Barcelona, have been tracking him.

Herrington’s rise has been steep, and the speculation loud, yet his focus stayed narrow.

"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, speaking with the kind of clarity some players don’t find until their thirties.

Irankunda, who knows all about the storm that comes with a big move after signing for Bayern Munich at 17, echoed that sentiment.

"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 shot. Two games on the bench. No guarantees. Just patience.

"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," he said after the Paraguay match. "I'm just grateful my opportunity came out and I really enjoyed it. I loved it every minute."

That blend of gratitude and ambition is exactly what coaches crave in a tournament environment.

A platform for what comes next

Australia leave the group with a clean sheet, a place in the round of 32, and something more valuable than either: proof that the next wave can carry the weight.

Bos, rampaging on the wrong flank and still dictating the game. Herrington, the youngest of them all, playing as if he has been there for years. Around them, a squad starting to trust that these kids aren’t just here for experience — they’re here to decide matches.

The scoreline said 0-0. The night said something very different: the future of the Socceroos back line has already walked onto the World Cup stage, and it doesn’t look inclined to step back.