Ibrahimovic offers support to Australia’s Herrington after World Cup penalty heartbreak
Soccer Football – FIFA World Cup 2026 – Round of 32 – Australia v Egypt – Dallas Stadium, Arlington, Texas, U.S. – July 3, 2026 Australia’s Lucas Herrington looks dejected after the match as Australia are eliminated from the World Cup REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach
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ARLINGTON, Texas, July 3 : Zlatan Ibrahimovic showed his warmer side by sending words of encouragement to Australian teenager Lucas Herrington after his penalty miss against Egypt in the World Cup round-of-32 shootout.
The 18-year-old centre back struck the crossbar with Australia’s fourth spot-kick, leaving Hossam Abdelmaguid with the opportunity to seal victory for Egypt, which he duly did.
Harry Souttar also missed for Australia.
Australia lost 4-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw following extra time on Friday, extending their wait for a first knockout-round victory at the showpiece tournament.
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“Penalty is like lottery. You score, you become a hero, you don’t score, sadly you become zero,” Sweden great Ibrahimovic said on Fox, where he is working as a World Cup analyst.
“I just want to reach out to Herrington. You’re 18-years-old, you’re young, this is just the beginning of your career.
“You stepping up there, you showed a lot of courage, not everybody will do that. My friend, you’re the best. Don’t listen to the rest.
“But listen, Herrington, if you want to reach out, I’m here.”
Six of Australia’s starters were aged 23 or younger, including Herrington.
“I’m probably the first one to be knocking myself down and being hard on myself, so to hear that from a legend of the game means a lot,” Herrington said when asked about Ibrahimovic’s message.
“I think a lot of people would be wondering why I stepped up. The coaching side of the team had my back – they believed in me. I made my penalties during the week. We practiced it. I was confident, so it was just… I knew where I wanted to put it. I did my routine and, unfortunately, it didn’t go my way.”
Source: Reuters
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