Jacob Italiano and Mathew Leckie to miss remainder of Australia's World Cup

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/italiano-jacob/x2rPoBfJ/"]Italiano[/a], who ‌started in the opening group matches against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/turkey/QeijuHo5/"]Turkey[/a] and the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/usa/fuitL4CF/"]United States[/a], ‌suffered an adductor injury in training while [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/leckie-mathew/pxSEDSGF/"]Leckie[/a] ‌sustained a hamstring strain during the USA match.[/p][p]Both missed the ‌0-0 draw against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/paraguay/YaNlqp6j/"]Paraguay[/a] that put [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/australia/xSrf6qMM/"]Australia[/a] into ‌the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/australia-xSrf6qMM/paraguay-YaNlqp6j/?mid=lGmJTJSg"]Round of 32 on Thursday[/a].[/p][p]Leckie was a hero of Australia's World Cup in Qatar, scoring the winner in a group ‌match against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/denmark/0KUdxQVi/"]Denmark[/a] to seal their passage ⁠to the knockout phase.[/p][p]The ‌35-year-old was selected for a fourth World Cup despite an injury-blighted season ​for Melbourne City.[/p][p]Full back [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/behich-aziz/pnjldJ6K/"]Aziz Behich[/a], who slotted into the starting 11 in the absence of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/italiano-vincenzo/tjY4uUem/"]​Italiano[/a], said he was "gutted" for his City teammate.[/p][p][b]"I saw first-hand this year what he had to do to ⁠get back on ​that pitch for us at Melbourne City and then what he did in Sarasota,"[/b] Behich told reporters on Friday, referring to Australia's pre-World Cup training camp in Florida.[/p][p]"He left ‌no stone unturned and it's a credit to him, it's not easy, not just physically but also mentally at his age."[/p][embed guid="844c408c-c9e1-4fc7-9572-c150c008c339" url="https://x.com/Socceroos/status/2070714990160465961" social-type="twitter" /][infobox id="4ccc1b10-d68f-4c97-bcf4-5e613c17c2e3" /][p]While Australia have depth to cover Leckie, Italiano's loss saw coach [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/popovic-tony/ttgVDVCA/"]Tony Popovic[/a] shift regular left back [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bos-jordan/fZFBMyjl/"]Jordan Bos[/a] to the right to play as an inverted wingback against Paraguay.[/p][p]Veteran full-back Behich started in Bos's place at left back.[/p][p]The move proved effective as ‌Bos was a standout in the scoreless draw, and ​his link-up play with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/volpato-cristian/2B5YqXFG/"]Cristian Volpato[/a] down the right ‌flank set up a number of promising attacks.[/p][p][b]“It’s something we worked on during the week in our tactical session and it worked really well, and I think it worked well again last night," [/b]Behich ⁠said of the tactical ⁠switch.[/p][p]"That’s why we got ‌the result that we deserved."[/p]