Much to Arnold’s delight, Ryan conjured a couple of key saves to keep a second successive clean sheet in his third game for the Danish champions as they held Turkey’s Trabzonspor to a goalless draw to ease through 2-1 on aggregate.
 

Ryan flyin' in Denmark

 
  • Mat Ryan is heading into the World Cup on a high after his new club FC Copenhagen qualified for the Champions League group stages.
 
  • The Socceroos goalkeeper discussed the switch from Real Sociedad to FC Copenhagen with Socceroos coach Graham Arnold, who gave it his blessing.
 
  • Reborn Ryan has kept two clean sheets in his first three games for the Danish champions.
 
Ryan switched to Denmark’s Superliga in search of regular game time after a frustrating stay at Real Sociedad, with Arnold fully supportive of his stance heading into November-December’s World Cup in Qatar.
 
Clinching a spot in Friday’s draw for the group stage - where Ryan joins compatriots Aaron Mooy (Celtic), Nikita Rukavytsya (Maccabi Haifa) and Ajdin Hrustic (Eintracht Frankfurt) - has further vindicated Ryan’s decision to revive his fortunes in Scandinavia.
 
“Maty’s priority is to be playing regularly heading into the World Cup, just as it is with rest of the boys,” Arnold told FTBL. "Reaching the group stages of the world’s best club competition is an added bonus for sure.
 
“His ability has long been there for all to see wherever he’s played at club level. But football is not a long career, the years fly by, and you want to maximise every minute available and be out there on the pitch week-in week-out.
 
“That’s what he’s aiming to do, and is doing, at Copenhagen, who are a team who can compete at a very high level.
 
“It’s super competitive and just what Maty needs heading towards the World Cup, which means so much to him as it does all of us.”
 
Arnold, who worked with Ryan at Central Coast Mariners before his initial European move to Club Brugge in Belgium, conferred with the shot-stopper ahead of his Spanish exit.
 
“I spoke to Mary a little about the move and he had my full support from the get-go because it’s a great move forward him," he added.
 
“I’m expecting to see him flourish there and enjoy every minute after a bit of a stop-start time at Real Sociedad where he would have wanted to have played more.
 
“There’s also that also connection there with our (former) head of high performance Andrew Clark now in charge of Copenhagen’s fitness and conditioning and he’ll work closely with Maty in the coming months.
 
“The fact we face Denmark in our group in Qatar also puts them in the right place at the right time to get a bit of extra insight into our opponents, which can’t be a bad thing.”