Socceroos Praise Key Players After World Cup Progression

Jordy Bos may not have been named player of the match, but another strong performance, in which he was asked to play on the right of defence instead of his preferred left, was lauded by his teammates.

"He's the best player in the world, Jordy Bos," said Nestory Irankunda following the Socceroos nil-all draw with Paraguay.

"Best wing back in the world, and he's so talented, but what a guy.

"He done so well at right back today, but he got so high up the pitch today, and he showed glimpses of what he can do with the ball.

"We've always known Jordy for doing great things, and today he was incredible."

The Feyenoord fullback created the most scoring chances, took the most shots and completed the most dribbles, as he paired up with Cristian Volpato down the right-hand side.

His performance was likened to that of Gareth Bale, the Welsh winger who started as a fullback and went on to star for Real Madrid.

Bos though, grew up watching Dutch star Arjen Robben.

"Unfortunately, I didn't score like him, but I tried, tried my hardest," he said.

"I think I could have scored a couple, but I think from now on if everyone puts their best foot forward and we get chances, we just have to finish it.

"The sky's the limit."

'I'm super proud'

On the other side of the back-three, Lucas Herrington quietly showed his talent, as he became the youngest Australian to start a game at the World Cup, taking teammate Irankunda's record.

Herrington's rise has been steep, courted by several big clubs in Europe, including Spanish giants Barcelona.

But the teenager won't be distracted by the conversation around his future.

"I'm here at the World Cup, so that's my main focus. I just want to help the team as much as possible, and we can deal with that after," he said.

It's an approach Irankunda wholeheartedly agrees with, after he was signed by Bayern Munich as a 17-year-old.

"He's so talented and I feel like this is just a glimpse of what he can do, a small glimpse of what he can do, and I feel like he can just get better from here and I feel like we'll see a better side to him," he said.

"I've just told him to try to stay away from it [the speculation around his future]."

Herrington was forced to wait for his chance at this tournament, left on the bench for Australia's opening two matches.

But he was happy to bide his time.

"It's my first World Cup at 18. It's in probably everyone's best interest for a young player just to watch and observe the first couple of games," Herrington said after his debut against Paraguay.

"I'm just grateful my opportunity came out and I really enjoyed it. I loved it every minute."