Socceroos coach Tony Popovic has defended the decision to allow teenage defender Lucas Herrington to take a penalty after his side crashed out of the World Cup with a shoot-out loss to Egypt in the round of 32.

Herrington was entrusted with Australia’s fourth penalty of the shoot-out, entering the fray with his side already trailing after his fellow central defender Harry Souttar failed to hit the target with their opening spot-kick.

The teenager’s effort rattled off the woodwork, and Egypt’s Hossam Abdelmaguid followed up by coolly taking his chance to steer his side to their first win in a World Cup knockout game and extend the Socceroos’ wait to do the same for at least four more years.

In his post-match press conference, Popovic appeared to take issue with a question asking why Herrington had been entrusted to take a penalty.

“I think it’s always easy to do that in hindsight after. I’m sure you’d be saying something else if the young kid scored, you’d probably be sitting there saying how wonderful it is that an 18-year-old took a penalty and scored,” Popovic replied.

“He has played the last two games as an 18-year-old, so if I trust him to play in a game that we needed to get a result against Paraguay and a game that, elimination was on the line, what’s the difference with the penalty?”

Popovic’s decision to substitute in-form goalkeeper Patrick Beach for the more senior Maty Ryan ahead of the shoot-out also did not go according to the script, with all four of Egypt’s penalties ending up in the back of the net.

But Popovic said no feet should be laid at the feet of Ryan, who took the captain’s armband from Harry Souttar when he entered the pitch in the 119th minute.

“With Maty’s experience, and I think if you look at his record in saving penalties — Patrick is new as a goalkeeper, not just with the national team, but in club football. We just felt that Maty’s experience would be the difference,” he said.

“In the end, it didn’t work out that way, but not because of Maty’s poor judgement or lack of ability. They took really good penalties.”

Socceroos star Jordy Bos was carried from the pitch at half-time and substituted out of the game at the resumption after being collected in a sliding tackle from Egypt’s Ramy Raiba moments before the main break.

After his assistant Paul Okon described the tackle as “terrible”, Popovic said it “didn’t look a very good challenge”.

“Unfortunately, it wasn’t even a yellow card,” he said.

“I think those things keep going against Australia, and until we can change that by getting to a certain level in these major competitions, I think once we’re respected as a nation that belongs with the elite and very best, I think some of those things, you’ll see, will go our way.