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Football Australia\u2019s two most senior officials have once again given Tony Popovic their backing despite the Socceroos boss receiving backlash after Australia bowed out of the World Cup on penalties against Egypt<\/a>.<\/p>\n Popovic\u2019s decision to take off goalkeeping revelation Patrick Beach and replace him with veteran shot stopper Mat Ryan for the penalty shootout has copped widespread ridicule.<\/p>\n Get all the latest football news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now ><\/a><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n As has the call to place the responsibility of taking the fourth penalty on the 18-year-old shoulders of Lucas Herrington.<\/p>\n The latter even led Socceroos great Robbie Slater to write: \u201cThe minute Lucas Herrington stepped up for the penalty kick I felt angry. The whole country should be.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n Football Australia chief executive Martin Kugeler and executive director of football Heather Garriock were asked by reporters whether they agreed with Popovic\u2019s massive calls.<\/p>\n Beach and Ryan told reported in the mixed zone after the game that they found about the switch at the last minute<\/a>, but Garriock was confident that the 119th minute substitution came off the back of sufficient planning.<\/p>\n \u201cTony Popovic is a brave coach,\u201d Garriock said.<\/p>\n \u201c(We saw) in the first game the courageous decisions he makes.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s obviously a methodical coach.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I wasn\u2019t surprised when he substituted Beach for Ryan and the reason why is because that thought process would have been much prior to that. It was more the experience side of things that he focused on and he\u2019s got experts in those fields. Obviously Frank\u2019s (Juric) the goalkeeper coach.<\/p>\n \u201cSo that would have been thought out and I have full belief in what Tony decides.\u201d<\/p>\n As for Herrington, Kugeler said that the teenager was \u201cdevastated\u201d but was full of praise for the way the centre back handled himself with the media post-game.<\/p>\n The Barcelona-linked youngster told SBS that he was confident but he will \u201cmove on\u201d and will \u201cget back to working\u201d on his game after \u201cthe first big speed bump\u201d of his young career.<\/p>\n \u201cI briefly saw him after the game down in the sheds. Like all the players, he was devastated and obviously had to digest,\u201d Kugeler said.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not sure if you all have seen his interview after the game: what a mature interview, right? An eighteen year old, playing not only this game, a fantastic game, also the previous game being one of the key pillars to take us into the knockout stages.<\/p>\n \u201cTo take us the whole way, 120 minutes, stepping up. What that shows us, the future is bright for Australian football. The future is bright, not only because of him.<\/p>\n \u201cYou look at the young squad that we had, complemented by the experienced players, but this young squad will continue to grow. They will continue to grow with the experience that they\u2019ve gained here at this tournament. And they will become better. Asia Cup (next), they will be better in four years time and a lot of those players have got not only one but multiple tournaments in there.<\/p>\n Socceroos lose to Egypt on penalties | 12:01<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m watching like you guys as a fan of that \u2013 having the courage to step up in a moment like that just shows the character of a player. But it also shows the character of Tony Popovic and the coaching staff to trust the players.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t just (think he\u2019s) 18, I don\u2019t let him take a penalty. You trust the players, you trust the players that you put on the pitch, you trust the players who feel confident in the moment and you support them.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you also support them afterwards and I really hope that not only friends and family, the coaching staff, but all of us, all the nation, stays behind him and the entire team.\u201d<\/p>\n READ MORE<\/b><\/p>\n TALKING PTS \u2014 \u2018Whole country should be angry\u2019 at costly call; issue with final Popa shock<\/a><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n SOCCEROOS RATINGS \u2014 Courageous act that can\u2019t be ignored; breakout star\u2019s huge statement<\/a><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n \ufeff\u2018Nowhere near good enough\u2019: US pundit\u2019s final parting shot to Aussies after World Cup exit<\/a><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n Garriock added: \u201cWhat a courageous 18-year-old.<\/p>\n \u201cThe tournament that Herrington played was incredible. In fact, arguably man of the match of yesterday. He\u2019s cool, calm, collected.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m the conversation was, we\u2019ve done the penalties throughout training. Who\u2019s been the best? The coaching staff would have assessed that. I know that he\u2019s been one of the top penalty takers.<\/p>\n \u201cMore importantly, when you\u2019ve got a player that puts their hand up, regardless of age, then you\u2019re going to select that player to perform on the day.<\/p>\n \u201cSo age shouldn\u2019t come into it. Tony\u2019s reinforced the message about age.<\/p>\n \u201cHe started him, he\u2019s believed in him, but not just him, in other younger players. And I think that\u2019s really, really important.<\/p>\n Zlatan sends message to 18yo Aussie | 00:41<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s only going to grow out of this, out of this journey, but just to see the maturity on the kid was unbelievable.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I reflect on my career and if we look at a young Kyah Simon in the Asian Cup final in 2010, she was 16 years old, she converted the penalty, she was a hero. Lucas Harrington, if you convert the penalty, you would have been a hero too.\u201d<\/p>\n Football Australia also came under fire from some quarters for handing Popovic a contract extension before the World Cup began.<\/p>\n The only person to ever play for and manage the Socceroos at a World Cup is signed on until the end of next year\u2019s Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n READ MORE<\/b><\/p>\n \ufeff\u2018Never seen anything like it\u2019: England\u2019s wild reception where past World Cup dreams have \u2018gone to die\u2019<\/a><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n \ufeff\u2018Rather be us\u2019: Eliminated coach\u2019s \u2018bold\u2019 World Cup claim as opposite number left baffled<\/a><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n