Australia suffered a heartbreaking exit from the 2026 FIFA World Cup\u2019s round of 32 in a penalty shootout loss to Egypt on Friday in Arlington, TX.<\/p>\n
In penalties, Lucas Herrington had a chance to even up the shootout 3-3, but his attempt hit the crossbar.<\/p>\n
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Lucas Herrington goes OFF THE BAR! pic.twitter.com\/9rVFdbCMD9<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 3, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Herrington is just 18 years old and is a very promising Australian talent who also plays in the MLS for the Colorado Rapids.<\/p>\n And after the match, Fox Sports World Cup studio analyst Zlatan Ibrahimovi\u0107 offered words of encouragement for Herrington.<\/p>\n Zlatan sends a message to 18-year-old Lucas Herrington who missed his penalty in Australia\u2019s Round of 32 loss to Egypt @Ibra_official<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/sMUFK6SdYs<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 3, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cPenalty is like lottery,\u201d Ibrahimovi\u0107, a former Swedish soccer star player, explained. \u201cYou score, you become my hero. You don\u2019t score; sadly, you become zero.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I just want to reach out to Herrington,\u201d Ibrahimovi\u0107 continued. \u201cYou\u2019re eighteen years old. You\u2019re young. This is just the beginning of your career. You stepping up there, you show a lot of courage. Not everybody would do that. My friend, you\u2019re the best. Don\u2019t listen to the rest.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cStill, I say, penalty is lottery. It\u2019s not easy to step up there to shoot that penalty, and it\u2019s a moment of seconds. Either it goes well, or it [doesn\u2019t go well],\u201d Ibrahimovi\u0107 added. \u201cListen, Herrington, if you want to reach out, I\u2019m here.\u201d<\/p>\n Ibrahimovi\u0107 has been a star of the World Cup coverage after being hired by Fox in March<\/a>, making waves with his very honest (frequently featuring criticism<\/a>) and entertaining<\/a> commentary<\/a>.<\/p>\n And in this case, we saw an example of Ibrahimovi\u0107 delivering encouragement for a young athlete who could surely use it after Friday\u2019s unfortunate loss.<\/p>\n \t