In his mind, Connor Metcalfe is still knee-sliding his way across the BC Place pitch, celebrating the biggest goal of his career.
The Socceroo is the first to admit it might take him a little while to come down from the high of scoring at a World Cup.
Metcalfe delivered a moment to remember on Saturday (Sunday AEST) when he took possession, went on a stunning solo run then unleashed a scintillating long-range strike to seal a memorable 2-0 win over Turkey.
"I genuinely could not believe it," Metcalfe said straight after the match.
"I just saw the ball go in, and I was just like, 'holy shit, it's 2-0'. It was unreal. I'm just buzzing."
Australia flew out of Vancouver at 2am, landing about 4am, with players completing a light session back in Oakland on Sunday.
Metcalfe then spoke to the media and indicated he was still on the same high.
"When everyone was on me, I was in the most uncomfortable position." 🤣
— CommBank Socceroos (@Socceroos) June 14, 2026
Connor Metcalfe watching his #FIFAWorldCup worldie for the first time is everything 💚💛#Socceroos pic.twitter.com/RuO49Gtylc
"Nah, I'm still buzzing," Metcalfe said with a grin.
"Bloody World Cup goal - it's pretty sick. Give it a couple more days, and then, yeah, I'll be back."
Metcalfe's goal unleashed an outpouring of emotion.
"At first I thought 'I'm going to take my shirt off' ... but then I realised I don't really want to get a yellow (card), so then I just ended up going for the classic knee slide," he said.
"Very good technique. The flexibility is impressive - I didn't know I had that in me, but the photo is pretty cool, pretty iconic, I reckon."
Metcalfe is a crucial link between defence and attack for Australia, and has great chemistry with Nestory Irankunda and Mohamed Toure.
The midfielder was out of favour at FC St Pauli and also dealt with a knee injury, but has consistently been backed by Socceroos coach Tony Popovic.
"It's quite refreshing, to be honest," Metcalfe said.
"Having that much faith and trust from the coach, it's really nice.
"With my connection with Mo and 'Ness', I think I sort of bring a calmness and a bit more tactical awareness, and I can help in the front third defensively."
Metcalfe is also starting to feel fit and confident in his body again.
The midfielder is adamant Australia can take their brave, aggressive approach into Friday's clash with co-hosts the United States in Seattle.
"It's the best start we could possibly get heading into that game," Metcalfe said.
"Before the game we spoke about it, believing in ourselves, and just enjoying the moment.
"I didn't feel like we were nervous at all at the start of the game, and I think the fact that we started well really set us up.
"I think we're going to go into the next game full of energy, full of confidence."
