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Given the context of their recent work and the quality produced by Japanese playmakers Shinji Kagawa and Keisuke Honda, last night’s 1-1 draw in Saitama was about as good a result as the Socceroos could have hoped for.
A point away in front of 62,000 loud and expectant Samurai Blue fans is a terrific result, even if the Socceroos flirted with the unlikeliest of wins after Tommy Oar had put them in front with one of the flukiest goals you’ll see.
Twenty years after the Socceroos were on the end of an almost identical heart-breaking deflected goal off Alex Tobin in Buenos Aires that put them out of USA 94, it looked like the football gods had evened things up for Australia in a crucial qualifier of their own.
When Oar’s deflected cross looped over Eiji Kawashiwa into the net, it looked like the Socceroos had taken a giant stride towards Brazil with a much-needed three points.
But the football gods had other ideas, and with the Japanese nation feverishly getting behind their team in the hope they would qualify with at least a point here, they got their reward.
In truth it was no less than the hosts deserved.
While the Socceroos produced an organised performance, the likes of which we’ve rarely seen under Holger Osieck, there’s little doubt that Japan were the better side and that Australia relied as much on their determination as any technical quality.
At least though Osieck, for once, had them not only motivated, but armed with the personnel to execute a tactical plan that was not only about blunting the hosts, but having a go the other way.
One had to wonder where Osieck had been hiding such functional performances over the past two years.
The first half and in particular the middle period of it was especially impressive from the Roos.
Sitting deep, defending with great organisation and desperation, the Roos employed two lines of four, with Brett Holman and Tim Cahill not too far advanced of them.
It was ostensibly a 4-4-1-1 in defence, and while they were stretched and hanging on in the early going, they soon started to look more comfortable, using it as a springboard to launch their counter-attack.
With Japan committing numbers forward, there was space in transition, and the plan was clearly to pop the ball out and utilise the pace of Holman, Robbie Kruse and Oar, and the hold up work of Cahill.
Holman, in particular, was very clever at finding the space in the wide areas to receive the outlet ball from defence.
The plan almost worked a treat when he played Kruse in behind Yasuhito Endo, only for Kawashiwa to produce a great save with a strong hand.
But the first half template wasn’t always perfect, and at times played right into Japan’s hands.
With Lucas Neill and Sasha Ognenovski no doubt conscious not to get caught in behind, they dropped deep.
This meant that the formation in front of them was often stretched, and the crafty Honda, Kagawa and Endo really enjoyed the space.
On one occasion they combined for a beautiful one-touch move with Shinji Okazaki, right through the heart of the Socceroos defence, only for Kagawa to be denied by a great Mark Schwarzer save.
In a more ideal world the Socceroos wouldn’t need to defend as deep as they did in the first half, but it has been that way under both Osieck and his predecessor Pim Verbeek.
So committed were the Roos to their first half jobs that it was almost inevitable they would tire, and so it proved at the start of the 2nd half.
Suddenly the pressing of Holman, Oar and Kruse slowed down, and the craft of Honda, Kagawa
and Endo took control.
Somehow the Roos, thanks to outstanding performance by Lucas Neill, Sash Ognenovski and Matt McKay, managed to survive a barrage that at one point saw Kagawa strike the crossbar.
Eventually though Australia were able to wrestle some of the game back, even taking the lead, before Japan were awarded a late penalty for a clear hand-ball by the otherwise exemplary McKay.
For once there were no heroics from Schwarzer from the penalty spot as Honda thumped the ball down the middle and sent a nation delirious.
While it was hard for the Socceroos to cop such a late equaliser, the execution of the game-plan should at least give them more belief as they look ahead to Jordan in Melbourne next Tuesday and Iraq in Sydney a week later.
Certainly, Oman’s 1-0 win over Iraq last night, which takes them into second spot, on to nine points, two clear of the Socceroos and Jordan, means there is no margin for error.
Jordan, who have impressed in beating both Australia and Japan this phase will certainly be no push-over, and are already over in this part of the world preparing, beating a New Zealand A side 1-0 last night.
With the likes of Oday Alsaify and Amer Deeb ready to make their own history, Osieck and his men can’t afford get complacent for a minute.
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