Ross Papadakis 
The Socceroos celebrating against Palestine in June. Photo: Provided by Aleksandar Jason/Subway Socceroos
From the heart of Europe to the far corners of Asia, Aussies are shining bright. Debuts, assists, a title push and even a touch of adversity have marked another week of Australians making waves in football leagues around the world.
Star of the week: Keanu Baccus – Mansfield Town FC
Wasting no time making his mark on English football, Keanu Baccus grabbed an assist in the form of a cross into the box for a Lee Gregory header in his debut for League One side Mansfield Town, as they defeated Barnsley 2-1.
The midfielder, who had an early goal ruled out for offside, made a swift impact after joining the Stags following their automatic promotion into England’s third tier, on a free transfer from Scottish Premiership outfit St Mirren.
Debuts in the Championship
Sam Silvera made his first appearance for Portsmouth after being substituted on at half time in their 3-3 draw with Leeds. Jacob Farrell however will have to wait a little while for his maiden Pompey appearance, as both he and Kusini Yengi missed due to injury.
Meanwhile, 18-year-old former Perth Glory player Daniel Bennie reached a significant milestone. The young talent came off the bench to make his debut for Championship side Queens Park Rangers, although the match ended in a disappointing 3-1 defeat to West Bromwich Albion.
Muscat’s Shanghai Port cruise towards title
Kevin Muscat extended his unbeaten run as Shanghai Port cruised to a dominant 7-2 victory over Meizhou Hakka in the Chinese Super League. The result solidifies the club’s position at the top of the table with a comfortable five-point advantage.
It also extends the club’s record of consecutive wins to 18 in all competitions, a truly mind-boggling number of victories in a row.
With just seven matches remaining in the season and with a foot in the Chinese FA Cup semi-final, the Australian manager, alongside his coaching staff of Vincenzo Ierardo and Ross Aloisi, is on the cusp of securing more silverware this season.
Stamatelopoulos injury casts doubt on national team selection
In just his second game and first start for Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership, Apostolos Stamatelopoulos limped off the pitch in the 44th minute of their 2-1 loss to Rangers. With an international window just around the corner, his selection now seems doubtful.
With Stamatelopoulos being open about his desire for national team selection, this is sure to be a blow.