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Soccer-Toure double fires Australia to Ashes win over New Zealand
SOCCER-FRIENDLY-NZL-AUS/ (PIX):Soccer-Toure double fires Australia to Ashes win over New Zealand
By Ian Ransom
Sept 9 - Rookie striker Mohamed Toure scored two goals in a new-look attack for Australia as the Socceroos beat New Zealand 3-1 in a friendly in Auckland on Tuesday to complete a 2-0 sweep of their "Soccer Ashes" series.
Starting up front with teenage dynamo Nestory Irankunda, 21-year-old Toure slotted his first international goal on a counter-attack in the 34th minute before adding his second on the hour mark with a crisp, left-foot finish.
Watford forward Irankunda also made the most of his recall for the series with a 54th-minute strike as the Socceroos flexed their muscles against their 82nd-ranked neighbours in front of a crowd of 18,213 at Mount Smart Stadium.
"In the second half, every attack we had we were pretty dangerous," said 21-year-old defender Alessandro Circati, given the captain's armband by coach Tony Popovic.
"They had a few gaps, a few holes, a few errors.
"So it's just important to maybe take a little risk playing the ball in behind."
Beaten 1-0 in the series-opener in Canberra, New Zealand broke a 15-year scoring drought against Australia when striker-captain Chris Wood found space and toed in a goal three minutes after Irankunda's.
But Toure crushed the rally with his second goal, stepping around New Zealand centre back Finn Surman and slotting his left-foot shot inside the far post.
Two minutes later, Toure thought he had a hat-trick when he banged in a Lewis Miller cut-back pass but the goal was ruled out by VAR, with Miller offside.
With both teams having qualified early for the 2026 World Cup, the series gave the coaches a chance to experiment with youth.
Seventeen-year-old Luke Brooke-Smith became New Zealand's second youngest international with a run off the bench and gave the hosts a spark in his late cameo.
New Zealand coach Darren Bazeley said the loss hurt, particularly after the All Whites dominated the first half-hour without scoring.
"Today they had those few moments and hurt us and we had some and didn't take them," he said.
"It's disappointing to lose two games in a row especially when I feel we had two pretty strong performances."
Inspired by the long-standing cricket series between Australia and England, the trans-Tasman Soccer Ashes was revived as a concept in 2023 when its 100-year-old trophy was recovered, having been missing for nearly 70 years.
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