Bulut's Cruel Final Blow

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After conceding an early goal Bulut scored twice to swing the final firmly back in the Young Socceroos’  favour before the Koreans equalised just before the break.

At 2-2 it was anyone’s game but DPR went on to score a late winner in regulation time courtesy of a handling error from Australian keeper Mark Birighitti.

Bulut, the tournament’s top scorer with a stunning seven goal haul, said the result was tough on the Aussies who should have made DPR pay. 

“It’s just football. Football’s a cruel sport. We had most of the ball possession and the chances,” he told au.fourfourtwo.com after the squad flew in to Sydney from Shanghai on Tuesday morning.

"They got us on the counter-attack three times and scored from it. That’s football. It happens. But we’ll bounce back and show everyone we can play."

That chance comes in less than a year when this talented Young Socceroo side compete at the World U20 Championships in Colombia. Bulut said the loss to DPR would only spur the Aussies to prove themselves on the bigger stage in South America next July.

“The dressing room was quiet [after the final] which wasn’t something we’re used to having won many games up to then," he said.

"It was a different atmosphere. The boys were disappointed. I was disappointed. It was good getting to scorer but winning the final…

“But we made the World Cup which was the most important thing and hopefully we can go from there.”

The former Sydney FC youth team striker, currently in his first season and a regular at Czech club FC Mlada Boleslav, was keen to spread the love saying his tally was down to his team-mates providing the service more than his own brilliance.

“It was a team effort," he said. "The boys were playing well and I was glad to score. It wasn’t really an individual effort. It was a team effort and fortunately for me I got top goal-scorer.

 “It was just one of those tournaments where as a team you play really well. We had a good preparation before it, we went to Hong Kong for a week training well and staying focused.

“And I was working on my game and it paid off. It was good to become top scorer of Asia.”

Bulut showed his class after the final consoling Birighitti who was heart-broken to have made the error that cost Australia the game.

“I told him to keep his head up. It happens," he said. " You can’t really blame him because he was good for us for the whole tournament.

"It’s not easy for a goalkeeper in the last five minutes to drop a ball. It’s sort of their routine to do it but you just got to give him the confidence and say, ‘C’mon, keep your head up’”.

Bulut however is not short on confidence after his impressive tournament. Scouts from around the world would’ve been alerted by his performances, although the youngster wasn’t giving too much away in terms of interest for his services and even a full Socceroo call-up.

He added: “I’m just focusing on my club at the moment and we go from there. We’ll see. Time will tell.”

To see the Young Socceroos return home today...