Socceroos take heart from positive night despite Wembley defeat to England | Australia


Since the conclusion of the World Cup in Qatar, Australia have faced Ecuador twice, newly-crowned world champions Argentina, Mexico, and now England, who defeated Graham Arnold’s side 1-0 at Wembley on Friday evening. Over these fixtures, they have won once – 3-1 over Ecuador in the first game of this run – drawn once, and lost three times. They have scored six goals and conceded eight. The three latest games have all taken place away from home.

None of these contests will go down in the annals of footballing history. In contrast to the 3-1 triumph the Socceroos secured over England 20 years ago, their latest meeting, aside from its notability as the first time an Australian senior side played at Wembley, will perhaps be remembered in years to come as having simply happened. Or, at a pinch, as the debut of Levi Colwill, Eddie Nketiah, Lewis Miller or Mohamed Toure.

Importantly, though, in none of this quintet of games have the Socceroos been embarrassed. Ever since their 4-1 shellacking at the hands of France in the opening game of the World Cup – a contest that Arnold retrospectively insisted represented a “friendly” and learning experience – they’ve shaped as a collective that works hard for each other, perform doggedly in the face of superior opposition and make the oppposition earn everything. Against Mexico and now England, they could have had more.

They were helped in this endeavour in London by the general flow of the contest being well-suited to their strengths. Fielding an experimental side ahead of a European qualifier against Italy on Tuesday, the hosts had handy control of possession for much of the game but, for the most part, were turgid and uninspired in possession. Against this, Arnold’s team were able to defend as a unit, with little-used Leicester City defender Harry Souttar anchoring their efforts with a strong performance at centre-back, and looked to spring on the counter or grab a goal from a set piece.

Especially in the first half, where England’s plodding inertia in possession was at its worst, they certainly had their chances. Keanu Baccus, Mitch Duke, and Kye Rowles all had decent chances and Ryan Strain the best of the opening 45 minutes when he had an effort cleared off the line. England themselves had their opportunities and both James Maddison and Ollie Watkins spurned golden moments to shift the game’s tone but there was never a sense that Australia were holding on for dear life. Jordan Henderson was booed off when he was withdrawn in the 62nd minute.

Harry Souttar shuts the door on Eddie Nketiah at Wembley. Photograph: Tom Dulat/Getty Images

Even after half-time, when Gareth Southgate began to make a few changes and his side clamped down on the Australian threat from open play, the Socceroos continued to hang around. Watkins gave England a deserved lead just before the hour mark but Connor Metcalfe, the 23-year-old whose skillset and promise should have him on several English sides’ radars sooner rather than later, could have erased that with a powerful 80th-minute header that crashed off the post.

The overall tone of the performance will have won Australia more fans and given heart to their supporters. Against one of the best teams in the world, even with their rotations, the Socceroos were in the contest and could have had something. Given where Australia sit in a global footballing context it will be seen as a positive. One of those brave and battling defeats.

“I thought we did well,” Arnold said. “Once again, we didn’t take our chances … when you play against a team at that level you have to take your chances.”

Now though, a new phase will begin for Australia. After taking on South American, Central American and European powers, the Socceroos’ next task is facing off with New Zealand for the newly re-discovered Soccer Ashes at Brentford on Tuesday. They will then commence qualifying for the 2026 World Cup against either the Maldives or Bangladesh – their AFC playoff locked at 1-1 after the first leg in Malé – and then Palestine, for whom football, for obvious reasons, is taking a back seat right now. Then comes the Asian Cup in January, where they will play India, Syria, and Uzbekistan in the group stages.

Australia will be expected to win all of these games. Far from playing on the counter, they will likely be expected to have the ball and unlock their opponents. Their opponents will enter the game emboldened with the underdog spirit that Arnold has honed into such an effective weapon for his side, as evidenced again in this latest clash at Wembley.



Source link

Visited 1 times, 1 visit(s) today

Related Article

Chris Billam-Smith vs Gilberto Ramirez world title unification live on Sky Sports this Saturday night | Boxing News

Chris Billam-Smith’s world cruiserweight title unification fight with Gilberto Ramirez this Saturday is live on Sky Sports. Britain’s Billam-Smith, the WBO champion, takes on WBA titlist Ramirez in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in a hugely significant fight for the weight division, with live coverage from 5pm on Sky Sports Mix. “Zurdo” Ramirez is a formidable opponent.

Former Turkish club chief imprisoned for punching referee

Faruk Koca punched Halil Umut Meler in the face last December. Emin Sansar/Anadolu via Getty Images A Turkish court sentenced a former top-flight football club executive to more than three and a half years in prison on Monday for attacking a referee on the pitch at the end of a league game last season. Former Ankaragucu

Nick Griggs: Teenager ‘buzzing’ after setting Parkrun world record

While Parkrun does not classify times as world records, describing its events as a “run and not a race”, it is the second record to be set at the Belfast venue in 12 months after fellow Irish international runner Ciara Mageean, 32, set a best women’s time of 15mins 13secs in December. Griggs, who burst

Bernhard Langer extends PGA Tour Champions’ record with season-ending victory

Bernhard Langer shot lower than his age to snatch victory at the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship and extend his record of winning a title every year on the PGA Tour Champions’ circuit to 18 years. The 67-year-old holed a 30-foot birdie putt on the final hole to card a five-under-par 66 and seal a

Scotland 15-32 South Africa: Hosts warm heart but cold-bloodedness required too

What did this tell us about Scotland? It screamed that, physically, they can be ferocious. Not in the scrum and certainly not when the bench has to be called upon, but around the field. Scotland have major problems in front-row back-up, but that’s hardly news. The game showed the excellent Tom Jordan is a massive

FIFA must halt Saudi Arabia World Cup host bid, says Amnesty

FIFA must halt the process to pick Saudi Arabia as hosts of the 2034 World Cup unless major human rights reforms are announced before the vote next month, Amnesty International and the Sport & Rights Alliance (SRA) have said. Football’s world governing body awarded the 2030 World Cup to Morocco, Spain and Portugal in October

NBA round-up: Anthony Davis and LeBron James guide Lakers to victory

Anthony Davis and LeBron James starred as the Los Angeles Lakers rallied to claim a 123-103 victory over the visiting Toronto Raptors. Davis scored 22 points in 26 minutes before leaving the game with an eye injury in the third quarter as he tried to block a shot by the Raptors’ Jakob Poeltl. The 31-year-old

Rúben Amorim: I’m not ‘naive,’ Man United job is difficult

Incoming Manchester United head coach Rúben Amorim has said he is under no illusions about the difficulty of the task he faces when he takes over at Old Trafford but he is looking forward to the challenge. The Premier League club announced Amorim’s appointment earlier this month, with the 39-year-old set to arrive from Sporting

Barcelona coach Flick slams wrong VAR decision in loss

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick criticised the “wrong decision” to disallow Robert Lewandowski‘s goal for offside as his team were beaten 1-0 at Real Sociedad on Sunday in LaLiga. Lewandowski thought he had opened the scoring at Anoeta in the 14th minute, but semi-automated offside technology (SAOT), introduced in Spain at the start of the season,

Bruno Fernandes back in form as Man Utd head coach Ruben Amorim set to arrive

A combination of the number of players leaving for international duty this week, and some of those not called up being given time off, means that it will be largely those who are injured that Amorim first gets to see when he reports for duty at United’s Carrington training complex. It means the fact United

INSIDE SPORT: Welsh clubs playing in England see European ambitions hit a snag, why Enzo Maresca keeps changing outfits, and FIFA refuse to U-turn on Lionel Messi decision

The attempt by Welsh football clubs playing in English leagues to enter the Welsh League Cup — in which a place in Europe is up for grabs to the winners — has run into difficulties. Inside Sport understands that the controversial move, which one exec claimed was those involved attempting to ‘have their Welsh cake

Manchester City: Pep Guardiola expects recovery after four consecutive defeats

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says “we will recover our best” after his side slumped to four consecutive defeats, the first time that has happened in his managerial career. Their 2-1 loss at Brighton came after defeats by Bournemouth in the Premier League, Tottenham in the Carabao Cup and Sporting in the Champions League. Guardiola

Transfer rumors, news: Man Utd plot swoop for Chelseas Nkunku

Manchester United have been linked with a move for Christopher Nkunku, who is reportedly unhappy at Chelsea, while Barcelona have joined the race for in-form Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyökeres. Join us for the latest transfer news, rumours, and gossip from around the globe. Transfers homepage | Done deals | Men’s grades | Women’s grades

NFL results and highlights: Kansas City Chiefs stay undefeated and move to 9-0 with last-gasp victory over Denver Broncos after blocked field goal | NFL News

The Kansas City Chiefs survived a big scare against the Denver Broncos, securing a dramatic late win via a blocked field goal as time expired to stay undefeated, while the San Francisco and Pittsburgh Steelers also earned thrilling victories… Denver Broncos 14-16 Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs blocked Denver Broncos kicker Wil Lutz’s

0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x