Two wins, two clean sheets, seven goals – and most importantly, a return to the top of their group. But Australia leave these latest World Cup qualifiers with one big question: just what will they do for goals when Tim Cahill retires?
The 35-year-old scored a first-half hat-trick in Bangladesh on Tuesday night, to make it six goals from six games this campaign. His work in the capital of Bangladesh, Dhaka, included one ingenious piece of play in which he bobbled the ball off the ground, then leapt out of the congestion to strike on goal.
It was a nice way to make up for last Thursday’s under-rewarded outing in Canberra, where Kyrgyzstan’s man between the sticks denied him with one great block after another.
“Tonight, I’ve been ruthless,” Cahill said at full-time. And for the first half against Bangladesh, he was. What followed after the break was a far scrappier affair, though that could hardly be pinned on any particular player.
“Overall, with the unusual buildup we had, it all just took its toll,” explained coach Ange Postecoglou. The team arrived in Dhaka the night before the match, amid security fears that had intensified after the Paris attacks.
“Knowing what the boys have been through the last few days, we lost our focus and concentration in the second half. [But] with everything that’s going on, they’ve handled themselves impeccably.”
“I’m very proud of what we’ve done here,” added Cahill. “The security was more than first class … We got an amazing reception here, the people here are amazing.”
The only other Australian to score in this international break was 31-year-old captain Mile Jedinak. In Canberra, it was from the spot; in Dhaka, he basically just walked in on goal, finding himself in plenty of space at the back post as Bailey Wright headed across the goalmouth.
But while Postecoglou is yet to find a young gun who can really fire up front, he has young creative midfielders to burn. Aaron Mooy played a role in at least four of Australia’s seven goals this camp, be it from dead balls, by linking up with Cahill, or a combination of the two. He looks so dominant in the role that Massimo Luongo, the centrepiece of the January’s successful Asian Cup tilt, is almost at danger of becoming a forgotten man.
Postecoglou has used 27 players in the six games of this campaign, and the latest additions included the uncapped pair of James Meredith and Perth Glory’s Josh Risdon. Both looked like handy additions to the roster – Risdon even played a part in the best of Cahill’s goals – though the real test will come against higher quality oppositions.
“In this first phase of qualification, I thought it was important to expose as many players as I could,” the Australia coach said.
The match against Bangladesh was Postecoglou’s 25th in charge of the national team, and the win puts his record into the black for the first time (11 wins; four draws; 10 losses). He’s undoubtedly breathed new life into what was an aging side, the benefits of which will be reaped for years.
But there are some anomalies. They may have won the Asian Cup, but they are yet to beat a team from outside of Asia. And without the assistance of extra-time, they haven’t beaten a team ranked higher than 80th. “We’re nowhere near where we want to be,” Postecoglou noted in Dhaka.
Where they want to be, at least in the near future, is with the Asia’s big players in the final round of these qualifiers. Their progress was looking uncertain after last month’s loss in Jordan. Not anymore. The Jordanians travelled to the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek and lost 1-0, giving up Group B’s top spot in the process.
If Australia can beat Tajikistan in March, they’ll only need a draw against Jordan the following week to secure a place in the next round. Both matches will be played in Australia, though venues have yet to be announced.
