Hibs star made to wait for dream chance as teammate makes World Cup case during international win
The Hibs duo have been out on international duty this week with their first game done.
Martin Boyle made his World Cup case for Australia on Friday morning in a 1-0 win over Cameroon - as Hibs teammate Ante Suto is made to wait for a debut.
The Socceroos have regularly called upon the Easter Road legend who is set to depart the club at the end of this season, and have also named Croatian-born Suto in Tony Popovic’s squad for the first time. Their first friendly as part of their March camp was against African opposition where a late Jordy Bos goal in the second half sealed a narrow win.
Next up for the Socceroos is a match with Curacao next week as they continue to prepare for participation at this summer’s World Cup. Boyle started the match and played the first half before going off while Suto was one of the unused subs at the Accor Stadium in Sydney.
What did Tony Popovic say about Australia’s win over Cameroon?
Speaking after the game, boss Popovic said: “It was a very good second half. First half we had some good moments. I thought we got in the box quite well, didn't finish off a few good chances that we had, and we looked a little bit stretched and anxious, you know. If we didn't have the ball we looked a little bit anxious, ‘oh we haven't got it yet, we haven't got it.’
“Then we became a little bit disjointed but I thought we were a lot more compact and a lot more connected second half with and without the ball and in the end it was a deserved win.
“I think, you know, we've we've given a lot of boys another chance today and, you know, it's not easy when they come in and they want to impress and you know, they do one or two days of training and they've got to come out and do it. So we're exposing them to a lot of difficulties but overall it's a good job.”
Suto had said pre-match on aiming to pull on the Socceroos jersey for the first time: “It’s a new jersey and it’s a first one for me. I am super excited to wear it and hopefully I wear it here soon in front of the home fans.
“It’s amazing just to wear it but it would be more amazing to wear it in front of the home fans. Martin Boyle has helped me a lot, he is a legend here. It’s easier for me when someone from the club is here, and with how good a player, and person he is. All the boys are also very good to me and I am super happy to be here.”