Jason Cummings marked his Australia debut with a goal as the former Dundee and Rangers striker bolstered his World Cup hopes.
The 27-year-old entered the fray in Sunday’s friendly against New Zealand after 63 minutes, replacing Mitchell Duke.
And Cummings rippled the net just 17 minutes later, clinically converting a penalty as the Socceroos claimed a 2-0 triumph in Auckland.
The spot-kick came after his initial effort had been blocked by an arm.
Watch Cummings’ goal below:
63' 🐶🧢'd
80' 🐶⚽🥅'sJason Cummings scores on his #Socceroos debut!
🎥: @10FootballAU #NZLvAUS #GiveIt100 #GoSocceroos pic.twitter.com/YZFtL1398Q
— Socceroos (@Socceroos) September 25, 2022
Cummings celebrated the landmark outing with one of his trademark irrepressible TV interviews.
He told 10 Football: “I’m absolutely buzzing. I was just chomping at the bit to get on. It’s been a good camp and the boys have been different class. I just wanted to get on the pitch.
“I got a good 30 minutes. The ball fell to me and I caught it well. It was going in and the boy hand-balls it. I was fuming!
“So I thought, ‘I’ve got to step up and take this and finish off my dinner!’ Step up, take a penalty and put it in the back of the net…not a problem.”
Cummings’ lucky charm
Asked whether he could be tempted to get another tattoo to celebrate the striker, Cummings added: “I might get Big Red, the kangaroo! No, maybe my cap number. You get a number so I might get that.
“I actually rubbed the tattoo of my dog, Carlos, for good luck before coming on. The young man did me well.”
"Finished off my dinner. Buzzin'" 😆
Jason Cummings with one of the all-time great post-match interviews after scoring on his #Socceroos debut 😅
🎥: @10FootballAU #NZLvAUS #Socceroos #GiveIt100 pic.twitter.com/7kaOg3bB89
— Socceroos (@Socceroos) September 25, 2022
Cummings is eligible to represent Australia through his mother and is making a late charge for the Qatar 2022 squad after notching 10 goals and six assists in 21 appearances since joining Central Coast Mariners at the start of this year.
He added: “It’s my dream to play at a World Cup. All I need to do is go back to the Mariners, work hard, do well and score goals. Then you never know.
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