Football
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Martin Boyle calls Australia debut 'brilliant' in draw vs. South Korea

It's going to be hard to wipe the smile off Martin Boyle's face for a few days. 

The Scottish-born winger may have only been in Australia for less than a week but he's now Socceroo No. 599 after making his debut for the national team against South Korea on Saturday.

Boyle was given the nod by coach Graham Arnold in the second-half of the friendly at Suncorp Stadium, with a resolute Korean team holding a 1-0 lead.

Adding pace and energy down Australia's right flank, Boyle quickly set about proving to fans why Arnold has been keen to add him to his ranks ahead of January's Asian Cup.

To cap it all off, the Hibernian player played a key role in setting up Massimo Luongo's last-gasp equaliser for the home team to secure a 1-1 draw.

"I'm claiming the assist," Boyle told AAP. "You've got to be there ... I like to be in the box and create chances, try to score goals for myself. Thankfully, it fell for me in the right position.

"It was good. The atmosphere and the crowd were brilliant."

Boyle's Sydney-born father watched the game from Scotland and the 25-year-old couldn't be happier to call himself an Australian international footballer.

"It's brilliant, that's just a taster and you really want more," he said. "I'll cherish that forever.

"My dad stayed up and watched. I've just been off the phone with my fiancee, she's at home and she's got my nine-week-old daughter, so they're all very proud back home."

Boyle and his teammates now travel to Sydney for another friendly against Lebanon on Tuesday in what will be the Socceroos final appearance before their Asian Cup defence gets under way in the new year.

"I need to keep working hard and hopefully, push for starts," he said. "Everyone's chasing the same jersey. There's real competition in there."

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