Former Burton Albion midfielder Jackson Irvine was involved as his Australia side slipped to a 2-0 defeat in their vital World Cup qualifier to Japan in Sapporo on Thursday afternoon.
Irvine made his first start for his national side as a Hull City player following his Brewers departure yesterday, coming off on the 87th minute with his side 2-0 down.
Goals from Takuma Asano and Yusuke Ideguchi consigned the Socceroos to defeat, meaning that Irvine's side will have to beat Thailand on Tuesday in order to qualify for the World Cup while hoping Japan beat Saudi Arabia.
If they fail to better Saudi Arabia’s score, that will mean Australia progress to the play-offs.
Irvine departed the Brewers for a club-record fee we believe to be in the region of £2 million plus add-ons, with a sell-on clause inserted into the contract that the 24-year-old signed with Hull, entitling Albion to a percentage of the fee the Tigers were to receive if they sold him.
The former Ross County man made his first international start for the Socceroos during his time at the Pirelli Stadium - and notched his first goal in their 2-0 win over the United Arab Emirates in March.
"We're obviously extremely disappointed but it's not finished yet. It's going to be difficult but while it's mathematically possible we'll be giving it everything", Irvine told the Socceroos' website post-match.
