Almost four months ago, Socceroos captain and goalkeeper Mat Ryan was homeless after ending a turbulent spell at FC Copenhagen.
He toasted success with AZ Alkmaar on Thursday night after guiding the Dutch club to the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League.
Ryan became a hero in front of home fans at the AFAS Stadium by making two saves in a penalty shootout to defeat Anderlecht 4-1 on penalties.
The quarter-final match ended 2-2 on aggregate after regular time and extra time, with Alkmaar coming from behind after a 2-0 defeat in Belgium.
“It’s amazing when things go according to plan,” said Ryan.
“The phase it was tonight was critical, quarter-finals of a major European league, so it was nice that we all had something to contribute.
“A lot of people wrote us off after the first game, but the team showed a lot of character.”
As one of the night’s heroes, Ryan said he was confident Alkmaar could achieve a positive result.
“I know from my experience in life in football that anything is possible. If you don’t believe, you fall at the first hurdle. Faith is important and then you have to go and implement the game plan and do the job.
“We have a great team, great solidarity and together with the fans it will be a night that we will probably remember for a long time. I know I will.”
Ryan’s penalty exploits were the perfect ‘thank you’ after the Dutch top flight club relaunched his club career after a turbulent six-month stint at FC Copenhagen, where he clashed with colleague Kamil Grabara.
The Socceroos No. 1 had previously held spells with Brighton and Arsenal in the Premier League and Real Sociedad in Spain.
“It’s a really good club with a lot of ambition and it’s really exciting,” Ryan told AZ’s website when he signed in January.
“It’s a new chapter, the excitement of not knowing what’s about to unfold.
“They dream of reaching the highest heights and here at AZ … there’s a lot to play for.
The story goes on
“I am confident that I can come here and contribute to the team and our goals.”
He definitely has.
Alkmaar will be hoping for another outstanding performance from Ryan when they meet Premier League side West Ham in the semi-final first leg at the London Stadium on 12 May.
In the other semi-final, Italian club Fiorentina meets Swiss FC Basel.
Ryan was the mainstay between the posts for Socceroos coach Graham Arnold, who would have been following the glove man’s recent performance with keen interest.
Arnold featured heavily in last year’s World Cup qualifier against Peru in Qatar when he replaced his captain and goalkeeper on penalties, replacing him with Andrew Redmayne, who stopped Alex Valera’s crucial kick to send Australia through to the finals.
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