Australian Soccer Star Sidelined with Serious Injury
In a devastating blow to the Australian national soccer team, defender Alessandro Circati will be out for the remainder of the third round of Asia’s FIFA World Cup qualifiers due to a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament. The 20-year-old suffered the injury during a training session with his Italian club, Parma, on Friday.
Circati had started both of Australia’s recent World Cup qualifying matches, including a loss to Bahrain and a draw with Indonesia. Born in Italy but raised in Perth, Circati chose to represent Australia despite being eligible to play for Italy. He made his debut for the Socceroos in a friendly match against New Zealand last October.
The injury comes at a critical time for the Australian team, which is currently fifth in its six-nation group. Only the top two teams will automatically qualify for the World Cup finals, while the third and fourth-placed teams will advance to a further series of preliminaries next October.
The team has recently undergone a change in leadership, with Tony Popovic taking the reins as head coach following the surprise resignation of Graham Arnold earlier this month. Popovic will now be tasked with guiding the Socceroos through the remaining World Cup qualifiers without the services of Circati.
Leave a Reply