The Australia Under-18 team concluded their 2025 UEFA Friendship Cup campaign with an impressive 4-1 victory over South American foes Uruguay in Nyon, Switzerland.
Melbourne City’s Isuzu UTE A-League Championship-winning prodigy, Medin Memeti, added his name to the scoresheet during the seventh/eighth-placed playoff, joined by Brisbane Roar’s promising talent Quinn Macnicol.
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The 20-man squad included 12 players from the Isuzu UTE A-League, featuring rising stars like Lucas Herrington from Roar and Memeti, both of whom were instrumental in the Subway Young Socceroos’ victory at the U20 Asian Cup earlier this year.
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In their matchup against Uruguay—a nation with a storied rivalry with the Socceroos during World Cup qualifying prior to Australia’s transition to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC)—the Australian U18s harvested their first victory of the tournament.
Initially, Richard Garcia’s team suffered a narrow defeat against Argentina, losing 5-4 on penalties after a stalemate, before enduring a 3-0 loss to France.
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In a close contest with the United States, Memeti scored alongside former Roar talent Rylan Brownlie, now with Crystal Palace, but the Australians, reduced to ten men, fell short with a score of 3-2.
On Thursday, Central Coast Mariners duo Jai Ajanovic and Haine Eames, along with Western United’s Dylan Leonard, Herrington, and Melbourne City’s Lawrence Wong, all started alongside Memeti.
Jetzen Lopez provided the opening goal for Australia in the first half, followed by Memeti doubling the lead shortly after the hour mark.
Lopez and Macnicol then struck later to confirm the emphatic victory.
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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