Day five in brief
- Australia qualify for quarter-finals with another four-goal salvo
- Ange Postecoglou’s side probably now ready to win the World Cup
- South Korea struggle in narrow win over Kuwait, but still progress
Star of the day
So many contenders on the pitch at Stadium Australia on Tuesday night. Robbie Kruse was excellent, Mathew Leckie showed some nice touches and Massimo Luongo was again impressive. With the midfield solid, even the back line looked confident (a few early jitters aside). But the man who should be taking most plaudits today is Ange Postecoglou, whose tinkering with what was a winning line-up worked a treat. It was a ballsy move, but Ange clearly has big balls, the kind of balls needed to succeed as an international coach. In came Matt McKay (scored), Mark Milligan (scored, Mile who?) and Jason Davidson (solid), entirely justifying their promotions to the starting XI. What’s even better is that James Troisi and Aziz Behich will be rested, refreshed and ready for an extended run in the competition, without the Socceroos’ campaign having been compromised.
Photo of the day
Something to cheer
Australian sports team doing well, Australian public interested. It’s hardly ground-breaking news, but with over 50,000 at Stadium Australia on Tuesday, the rising wave of enthusiasm for the Socceroos was palpable. And with a genuine giant of Asian football providing the opposition on Saturday, there’s a real chance of a sell-out at the 52,500-capacity Suncorp Stadium. Sorry, Lang Park. Sorry, Brisbane Stadium.
What we learned
That the Socceroos are probably the best team in the world at the moment. OK, not quite, but there is a growing body of evidence to suggest that they may well be the best team in this tournament at least. Two games, eight goals for, one against, and two dominant overall performances – the figures certainly support the case. There is, of course, the argument that in Kuwait and Oman, the host nation has hardly faced quality opposition to this point, but the Socceroos have at least kept alive the idea that they can win the whole thing. And what more could have been asked for at this stage?
What’s happening in the Socceroos’ camp
Ange Postecoglou is laughing off the expectations suddenly imposed on his side. “Favourites? Oh please” he said after Tuesday night’s match. “I think I’ll handle it OK, I handled it OK when people were writing us off. I’ve got a real belief about this group of players and the way we’re going about things. Whether people think we’re favourites now or they still think we’re a team ranked 300 in world, doesn’t make any difference to me.”
Video of the day
What’s on today
Group B continues with North Korea meeting Saudi Arabia in Melbourne and China playing Uzbekistan later in a mouth-watering encounter in Brisbane. The results of both games will be of interest to Australia, who will meet one of the two qualifiers from Group B in the next round.
Player to watch
Vitaliy Denisov was probably the best player on the park in Uzbekistan’s opening win over North Korea and he could cause all sorts of problems for China in Wednesday’s intriguing clash. A left-back who isn’t afraid to “put it about” a bit, nor maraud forward and provide a threat in the final third, Denisov is in possession of all the attributes a complete modern-day full-back should have. He also has great hair.
Quote of the day
I’m sure there’s some bloke at Fifa right now who does the rankings who’s trying to work out how a team ranked as low as we are can play such good football.
Ange Postecoglou on his 100th ranked side after victory over Oman, ranked 93.
Must read this
Kate Cohen’s in-depth analysis of how the Socceroos won so emphatically against Oman. Includes: tactics, complex formations, diagrams and other cool nerdy stuff.
Today’s games
Group B: North Korea v Saudi Arabia, Melbourne – 6pm
Group B: China v Uzbekistan, Brisbane – 7pm
(Times local)
