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The contrasting emotions of Australia’s agonising Asian Cup defeat may run the gamut between pride and despair and everything else in between, but there’s a vital sentiment which shouldn’t be overlooked from an unforgettable night in Doha – the Socceroos should have won.
For all the undeniable improvements made under the refreshingly attack-minded Holger Osieck, there was one key ingredient missing from an otherwise pulsating display.
It wasn’t a problem against Uzbekistan – although the Socceroos found goalkeeper Temur Juraev in a generous frame of mind – but finishing proved the achilles’ heel on an exasperating evening at Khalifa Stadium.
Like that joke in ‘The Simpsons’ where Lisa joins “the second-best band in America,” it’s almost as though the Socceroos were “born to runner-up” – or at least find new and excruciating ways to lose key matches.
From Australia’s incredible World Cup exit on away goals at the hands of Iran in 1997, to that challenge by Lucas Neill in Kaiserslautern and a penalty shoot-out defeat to Japan in the 2007 Asian Cup, the Socceroos have now added a new chapter in their long and lengthy list of near misses.
And things could have been so different had they demonstrated just a trifle more composure in front of goal.
From as early as the second minute when Matt McKay sliced a shot wide when he had time to take a touch, Australia’s finesse in front of goal deserted them.
At various intervals the otherwise effective Harry Kewell volleyed over the crossbar, turned straight into a pack of defenders and raised his arms in celebration before a scrappy Tim Cahill effort had even crossed the goal line.
It didn’t help that Japanese goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima was in stupendous form, but when Kewell failed to beat the Belgium-based shot-stopper after bursting clear with twenty minutes remaining, the signs were there that it was going to be another frustrating evening for Australian players and fans alike.
Substitutes Brett Emerton and Robbie Kruse both came off the bench to good effect, but they too missed chances in extra-time – the latter after Kawashima pushed his header onto the crossbar.
So it was left to Tadanari Lee to steal the limelight with a wonder strike full of technique and power, as the Sanfrecce Hiroshima striker took full advantage of a crucial lapse in concentration in the Australian defence.
One chance, one goal and suddenly the ‘Zainichi Korean’ was reminding everyone of the depth of the J. League: he didn’t even start last season as a first-choice striker in Hiroshima.
Lee’s clinical finish was doubly cruel on Australian fans because it reminded them of precisely what had been lacking from the Socceroos in front of goal.
That Australia failed to win the Asian Cup should take nothing away from a stellar campaign in which the entire squad did the country proud, reminding plenty of sceptics along the way that Australia fully deserves its place in the Asian game.
But if some constructive criticism is warranted, it’s that the Socceroos could surely polish up on their finishing skills and develop a killer instinct in front of goal.
Otherwise we’ll forever be talking about missed opportunities, sighing “so near, yet so far” when Herculean efforts on the pitch deserve far greater reward.
Each and every player ought to be applauded for their efforts at the Asian Cup, and Holger Osieck should take a bow for transforming Australia from timid makeweights into an enterprising attacking force within months.
But if there’s one thing I hope Australia takes away from the Asian Cup, it’s a renewed resolve to bury their chances and finish on the right side of the scoreline.
After all, it only takes one goal to settle a match: a point well made by a certain Tadanari Lee.