Socceroos return home in style

Holger Osieck’s first match in charge of the Socceroos on home soil has given him extra brownie points with 25,000 fans witnessing the national team defeat the higher ranked South American outfit Paraguay 1-0, courtesy of a David Carney goal.

Right from the start, Australia didn’t exactly control possession, however the Socceroos used their chances to good effect, winning several corners in the first half, and testing the Paraguay goalkeeper on several attempts.

Tim Cahill had a strong headed chance, and Jason Culina tested the goalkeeper from long range, with a strong strike being parried by the Paraguayan custodian.

Osieck promised attacking football, and he delivered.

The Australians attacked from the first whistle and played an exciting brand of football that excited the crowd. They even squeezed a cheer and applause from the small Paraguayan contingent.

Simple actions such as taking players on, or one-two passing, really got the crowd going in a performance that was fitting of the Socceroos return to home soil.

Captain Schwarzer was relatively unbothered. A shaky clearance gave the crowd some nervous moments, however it did not eventuate with a Paraguayan goal.

Osieck was pleased after the match. He was happy that the Socceroos created the large number of chances in the match.

“It was good to see our team create so many chances; now we will work on our finishing … We really tried to play attacking football, and to give plenty of passing options for the man on the ball.”

Carney’s goal in the 52nd minute was the climax in a night of pleasurable viewing for the fans, with the stadium going up in rapturous applause and cheering. The sense of a new beginning could be seen on the faces of all the fans and players.

The Sydney crowd was all cheers in the 89th minute, with the sight of Alex Brosque receiving final orders from coach Holger Osieck, as he came on to replace Richard Garcia.

Small groups of Sydney fans were on their feet chanting Sydney FC supporter songs in praise for the Sydney FC striker’s appearance in the green and gold.

Spotted in the crowd was Sydney manager Vitezslav Lavicka, who wasn’t camera shy, giving a small wave to the crowd once he spotted himself on the big screen.

Also present in the crowd was NSW Premier Kristina Keneally, who seemed quite entertained by the footballing spectacle from her box seat.

The match however was friendly in name only, with tension at boiling point on the field. There were tussles between several players on the pitch, including violent encounters between Paraguayan players and Luke Wilkshire, and later Scott McDonald.

The referee also lectured Paraguayan coach Gerado Martino who appeared to be overly angered at a number of calls made by the referee.

At the terminus of the game, members of the Paraguayan support staff appeared to attempt to stop the players from shaking the hands of the Socceroos, however the sportsmanship of the Paraguayans prevailed on that account.

In the post-match interview, Mark Schwarzer stated that the Paraguayan support staff overreacted. Carney stated that they were just frustrated.

A great all-round spectacle in Sydney, with a small but vocal crowd at the Sydney Football Stadium to witness the great attacking performance by the Socceroos. The small contingent of Paraguayan fans seemed to be going home also happy, with them also applauding the Socceroos as they made a victory lap around the pitch.

The small but vocal Paraguayan crowd were ever supportive of their side, but couldn’t counter the sheer number of the home crowd, with the Paraguay cheers easily drowned out by ‘Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi’.

The win for the Socceroos wraps up a great two days of Football in Sydney and Melbourne, with the first ever Melbourne derby being held the night before.