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Socceroos charge home to down Saudis

Roar Guru
29th February, 2012
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Striker Alex Brosque scored a double as a stunning second-half Socceroos barrage set up a 4-2 win to end Saudi Arabia’s World Cup qualifying campaign on Wednesday night.

Australia were certain to progress to the final stage of qualifying top of their group, regardless of the result of the clash at Melbourne’s AAMI Park.

But they looked in danger of suffering their first loss on home soil in three years when they trailed 2-1 at half-time and that was still the score 72 minutes into the match.

But the game turned dramatically, as the home side piled on three goals in three minutes to ensure they will carry plenty of confidence into the last stage of qualifying for the 2014 Brazil World Cup.

Brosque scored Australia’s lone goal in the first half, when midfielder Mark Bresciano, playing his first game for the Socceroos since the 2010 World Cup, gave the pacy striker a nice through-ball to run onto.

Brosque was also heavily involved in the second-half onslaught.

He set up Harry Kewell, who had an excellent match, for Australia’s second goal of the night, running past the defence into the left of the penalty area, then cutting it back for Kewell’s first-touch finish.

Brosque scored himself two minutes later, combining superbly with Brett Emerton, whose perfect chipped cross from the left allowed the striker to speed into the penalty area and head it past the Saudi keeper.

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Within a minute of the re-start, Emerton had scored himself, with Bresciano again providing the assist and Emerton having a touch of luck, as a defender’s attempted clearance ricocheted off the Australian’s boot into the net.

It was fitting the Socceroos had a dose of luck, as earlier in the second half captain Lucas Neill was denied what would have been his maiden international goal by an incorrect off-side call.

At the time, that 63rd minute decision looked like being costly for Australia, who were still trailing.

Earlier, the Socceroos made a sluggish start to go a goal down, courtesy of Saudi Arabia’s Salem Mohammed Aldawsari in the 19th minute.

After Brosque’s 43rd-minute equaliser, the home side paid for some loose defensive checking when Nassir Ali Alshamrani received a cross unmarked in the penalty area and fired home in first-half stoppage time.

Australia’s win was good news for Oman, who overtook Saudi Arabia to progress to the next stage with a simultaneous 2-0 win over Thailand in Muscat.

Socceroos coach Holger Osieck said there had been numerous players in unfamiliar positions and it showed in the first half, but the second period was very encouraging.

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“We really got our stuff together, we played excellent football, we played the football that I would like to see from the 60th minute on,” he said.

“It was a lot of imagination, creativity, we played the ball into the channel, there was a lot of mobility and movement and pace.

“That is basically the football that I want to see.”

Saudi coach Frank Rijkaard said his players started well, but became fatigued later in the match and might have also succumbed to the pressure of the situation.

“The equaliser for us was like it was demoralising the team, we had less confidence and couldn’t keep on playing like we wanted,” he said.

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