Grovelands Primary School alumnus Nestory Irankunda has been commended by his former school for his exceptional performance in Australia’s recent FIFA World Cup victory against Turkey.
The 20-year-old former City of Armadale resident has become the youngest ever goal scorer in the Australian team of the World Cup and was named player of the match after he scored the game’s opening goal.
“We are incredibly proud to celebrate former student Nestory Irankunda, who made history yesterday by becoming Australia’s youngest-ever goalscorer with a sensational strike in the World Cup victory over Türkiye, also being named player of the match. Congratulations to Nestory and his family on this remarkable achievement. We can’t wait to see what you do in your next game,” Grovelands Primary School declared.
Mr Irankunda’s success has been acknowledged by other local figures, including WA Attorney-General and Member for Armadale Tony Buti.
“That’s just what our team is all about. We fight for each other, and we just want to show the world that we can do something special,” Mr Irankunda said of the occasion.
“A lot of people don’t believe in us, but we have to believe in ourselves, and that’s all that matters at the end of the day.”
The 14th June match, held in Vancouver, Canada, resulted in a 2-0 victory for Australia. Goals were scored by Irankunda and midfielder Connor Metcalfe. Australia has thus won its opening game of the tournament for the first time in 20 years and the Socceroos are on the way to qualifying for the knockout stages.
