Cristian Volpato in action for Sassuolo. Photo: Getty Images.
Australians were in the thick of the action across Europe and Asia on Saturday night and Sunday morning (AEST), and we’ve got the pick of the highlights right here in our Aussies Abroad wrap.
Souttar handed captain’s armband, Irankunda given heroes welcome… or farewell?
Having taken on the captaincy of the Socceroos at the World Cup, Harry Souttar can now add ‘Leicester City captain’ to his CV after leading the Foxes in their first competitive match of the 2026-26 season.
Souttar helped Leicester, who were relegated to League One after a shocking English Championship campaign last season, keep a clean sheet as they beat League Two club Northampton Town in the opening round of the Carabao Cup.
The big defender has been heavily linked with a move away from Leicester, with several Championship clubs supposedly interested in the Socceroos’ services, but Foxes boss Russell Martin appeared to be making a statement by handing the armband to Souttar, who barely put a foot wrong as he made six clearances and three interceptions in a typically assured performance at the back.
Leicester City captain Harry Souttar. Photo: Getty Images.
WATCH: Toure takes 40 seconds to break 62-year-old record as Socceroos striker picks up where he left off in England
Another Aussie strongly linked with a move away from his English club, Nestory Irankunda, didn’t play for Watford in their Carabao Cup tie against League Two side Crawley Town, but he still managed to wow supporters by mingling with fans outside the stadium.
Irankunda is on the cusp of a move to Portuguese giants Sporting CP, with Football360 understanding a transfer fee worth $24.5 million has been accepted by Watford, with the finer details just holding up the signing from being made official.
If that is the case, then the Australian forward’s visit to Vicarage Road could have actually been a farewell to the club that helped put him on the map in Europe.
Cristian Volpato’s strong pre-season form continued as he found the back of the net for Sassuolo in their friendly against German side Augsburg.
The Australian – who hit the headlines last month for all the wrong reasons after he was twice caught speeding while driving over the Anzac Bridge, before allegedly returning a positive result to a roadside drug test, although he reportedly later returned a negative result to other tests – found the back of the net for Sassuolo after racing on to a through ball and rounding the onrushing goalkeeper, before calmly slotting the ball into an empty net.
It was the second moment of magic from Volpato in a matter of days, having provided a silky smooth assist during Sassuolo’s pre-season friendly against Celta Viga earlier this week.
On this occasion his goal wasn’t enough to earn victory for his Italian club as they gave up a 2-0 lead to lose 3-2 Augsburg, in Sassuolo’s final hitout before the Serie A season begins.
Watching your favourite European football has never been easier. For over 15 years, thousands of Australians have trusted Champions Travel for official tickets. As official ticketing agents of 10 Premier League clubs, plus European giants like FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich and AC Milan, they make getting to the game simple. Premier League tickets for the 2026/27 season are now on sale atwww.champions-travel.com. Use the code Football360AUG to get $20 off today!
Duke and Yengi are big in Japan
Australian forwards Mitch Duke and Tete Yengi both made it onto the scoresheet for Machida Zelvia in their thumping 5-1 win over FC Tokyo in the opening round of the J. League.
Yengi essentially took Duke’s spot in the Socceroos World Cup squad, but the pair both made it into the starting line-up for Machida on Saturday night, and it didn’t take long for the selection to pay off.
Duke, who returned to Japan after a brief stint with Macarthur in the A-League last season, scored in the 27th minute with a trademark header, before Yengi scored in the second half, finishing off a fine team passing move with a clinical left-footed strike into the far corner.
Arzani takes on the might of Real Madrid
It’s not every day an Australian gets to play against Real Madrid, and Daniel Arzani certainly won’t have taken the clash for granted as his Hungarian club Ferencvaros took on the Spanish behemoths in a pre-season friendly.
Arzani’s side went down 2-1, with the former Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory winger starting the game and having a couple of long range shots at goal during his 45 minutes on the pitch, during which he came face to face with the likes of Turkish wizard Arda Guler, Moroccan star Brahim Diaz, Los Blancos captain Federico Valverde and Dutch wingback Denzel Dumfries, while fellow new signing Bernardo Silva and the recently retained Vinicius Jr came on in the second half, after Arzani had left the field.
The 27-year-old Aussie is hoping for a far more positive campaign with Ferencvaros this time around, having returned to the A-League midway through last season in search of more game time.
Segecic on target, Robertson helps Cardiff make winning start
Back in England and Adrian Segecic might not be a contender to play for the Socceroos any more but the Australian-born-and-raised forward still makes it into our Aussies Abroad wrap after finding the back of the net for Portsmouth in their Carabao Cup clash against West Ham.
The former Sydney FC man lined up a strike from outside the box and it took a wicked deflection before rolling across the line to give Pompey an early lead against the Hammers.
However the London club, in their first competitive match since being relegated from the Premier League, recovered well through goals to captain Jarrod Bowen and Valentín Castellanos to run out 3-1 winners.
Meanwhile Alexander Robertson played the full 90 minutes for Cardiff City in their 3-2 win over Swindon Town, recording 97 touches and completing 63 of 77 passes in an energetic performance.
FOOTBALL360 DAILY: Get the latest football news delivered direct to your inbox. SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE NEWSLETTER >