Turkey came into its opening game of the World Cup the slight favourite and full of confidence that their team was more talented than Australia.
They leave like the AC/DC hit says: “Thunderstruck,” 2-nil losers to the opportunistic Socceroos who rode their stout defence and hot goalkeeper to victory.
The Aussie rock anthem blasted over the B.C. Place speakers more than the majority Turkish crowd cared to hear, a fitting theme for a thrilling game that also happened to mark Vancouver’s hosting debut for the 2026 men’s World Cup.
“A bloody great start,” enthused Australia supporter Cameron Atfield outside the stadium after the match, before being mobbed in celebration by a group of countrymen.
“Absolutely loved it,” agreed Perth native Matt Fitzharding. “Look, you got to give it to Turkey, they were passionate, they played fantastic. But Australia came through and we showed our passion, too.”
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Turkish support in the stands was stronger in number and louder in volume than their rivals. On the pitch Turkey seemed in control as well, dominating possession and shots in the early going, but never able to find the back of the net.
“Too much passing,” said sad Turkish fan Ugur Marsinoglu. “At the end, you gotta score goals. They couldn’t finish.”
Australia counted goals by youngster Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe. Goalkeeper Patrick Beach, a surprise starter, made eight saves for the shutout, including stopping a dangerous free kick in the 57th minute.
Despite announcing a sellout of 52,497, it wasn’t a completely full house at B.C. Place with empty seats visible in many sections.
That could be the result of the sky-high prices charged by FIFA, in combination with ticket buyers who thought they could resell for a profit before getting caught out by a market glut.
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CBC spoke to fans going into the game and heard from many that price of resale tickets had dropped substantially in the past weeks and days.
Erkan Asik made the trip from his home in Toronto to cheer on Team Turkey. He and three family members happily paid full freight: $1,400 each for premium seats in the ninth row after being selected in FIFA’s lottery release.
“It’s worth it, absolutely,” he said.
But Peter Staffidi from Adelaide, Australia, ended up winning by losing. After missing out on the FIFA ticket lottery he went to the secondary market and eventually snapped up two upper level seats for $150 US each, well below face value.
“The vibes are good and the city is beautiful,” he said smiling.
Same for Turkey supporter Enes Unalli, who paid $650 for a resale lower bowl seat three months ago, before buying another ticket for his girlfriend in the same section two days ago for $400.
“I just waited and kept on looking,” he said.
The next game at B.C. Place is Canada versus Qatar on Thursday, June 18.
