Joeys goalie Adam Pavlesic diving for success at FIFA under 17 World Cup
Teenage goalie Adam Pavlesic has played a big part in a major success in Brazil with the Australian Joeys.
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Teen goalie Adam Pavlesic has played a major role in Australia’s stunning victory over one of the world best football sides at FIFA U17 World Cup - describing the Joeys win over former champion Nigeria as “unbelievable”.
The Fairfield schoolboy told NewsLocal “words cannot describe it “ after the Joeys beat Nigeria 2-1 to advance into the final round of 16 at the Brazil tournament.
In the weekend match Pavlesic thwarted an early assault from Nigeria as the Joeys found their feet in the crucial match at the World Cup in Brazil.
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It was a confidence building result for the Joeys who failed to quality for the last World Cup two years ago and in their last meeting with Nigeria back in 2015 were soundly thrashed 6-0 by the 2013 and 2015 World Cup winning side.
The Joeys lost their first match to Ecuador 2-1 before drawing with Hungary 2-2 in their second outing.
“It was honestly unbelievable. Words cannot describe it,” said the 17-year-old.
“The boys put in so much effort the first two games and we felt a little unrewarded.
“But in this game everything worked excellently and we were happy to get the thee points and carry through to the next round. “
Rockdale’s Noah Botic was a standout for Australia with a brace in the crucial match.
Based in Germany with Bundesliga side Hoffenheim, Boticc is having an outstanding tournament with four goals to date.
“We came here to win games and, although Nigeria were fantastic, we got the result,” said Australian coach Trevor Morgan.
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“It’s a plus for the boys, for their commitment and belief, to come here and play a top team and win.
“We played an excellent team with great quality and great physical capacity [but] the boys were able to keep concentrating, keep working, and in the end the result was fantastic for us.”