Tony Popovic acknowledges that his risky team selection worked out following Australia's surprising World Cup victory

The head coach of the Socceroos caught many off guard by selecting Beach instead of usual captain Mat Ryan, and also leaving seasoned midfielder Jackson Irvine as a substitute.

Popovic's trust in Beach was vindicated by a confident performance from the Melbourne City goalkeeper, who made several saves when Turkey occasionally breached Australia's defence.

The player who replaced Irvine, Paul Okon-Engstler, also performed well, setting up Irankunda to give Australia a lead that they held onto stubbornly until Connor Metcalfe extended the advantage with 15 minutes remaining.

However, Popovic rejected any notion that selecting Beach or Okon-Engstler was an unconventional decision.

"These selections might come as a surprise to many, but not to our squad or coaching staff because we train together daily and can see the talent these young players possess," he said to journalists.

"It's a team chosen to play well. Naturally, you cannot predict the outcome at a World Cup, but for me the performance matters more than the result. Regardless of the outcome, it was the correct decision."

Popovic, who recently agreed to an extended contract that will keep him in charge until the 2027 Asian Cup, also stated that his young players have not yet reached their peak.

"They are far from reaching their maximum potential as they are a youthful squad with no prior World Cup experience and very few caps for their country," he said.

"Most of these lads will probably reach their peak in four or eight years."

Popovic then shifted his attention to Australia's upcoming match against co-hosts the United States, where a victory could potentially guarantee first place in Group D.

He stated that he was indifferent to whether Australia's win over Turkey would earn greater respect from other teams.

"I do not know, and I am not bothered by that," he added.

"Perhaps opinions will shift a little because we have defeated Turkey, a major footballing nation ... but we still have plenty of work ahead and must focus on the match against the USA."