Aiden O'Neill, the Australian national team player, confirmed that his team is ready for all possible scenarios during the match against Egypt, including resorting to penalty kicks.
The Egyptian national team faces its counterpart, Australia, at 9 PM today, Friday, at Dallas Stadium in the United States of America, as part of the round of 32 of the 2026 World Cup.
Preparedness for all possibilities
Aiden O'Neill said in statements during the match's press conference: "We are ready for all possibilities... so we are training on penalty kicks, and we will be ready if we have to resort to them."
He added: "The stadium is incredibly amazing... we all went out to take a look at it, and indeed it is a wonderful stadium, and certainly having air conditioning is a big additional advantage."
Regarding his leading position in the list of the most successful players in dual tackles in the World Cup, he said: "It's the World Cup, and we are facing world-class players... so I just try to enjoy every moment, enjoy the challenge, and give my best, and I think the whole group does."
Egypt's attack
He continued: "What are the similarities between Egypt and the three teams we faced in the group stage? I think all the matches will be similar, as they are all big matches."
He added: "The Egyptian team has an offensive power that we are well aware of, just as was the case with the other teams as well... so we will focus on ourselves and on delivering our usual style."
Quick adaptation
He continued: "We always adapt, and I think this is one of our greatest strengths as a group, we adapt to any circumstances we face, so we dealt with the break period as it was, and I also think that knockout stage matches really show a completely different level of competition."
Aiden O'Neill concluded his statements by saying: "It's great to have experience within the coaching staff, because they have previously represented the national team, we can always benefit from their experiences when we need them... they have gone through the same experiences we are going through now, and they have great experience."
The United States of America is hosting the 2026 World Cup, along with Mexico and Canada, with the participation of 48 teams, for the first time in the history of the tournament, from June 11 to July 19.
