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.
James
Guest
cruel implies malice. the penalty was as pure as they come.
James
Guest
i think you are being a little harsh on japan here, i dont think australia ever were in a situation where they could have put japan away as japan was the better team. i think 7 shots to 15 japans favour late in the second half. australia did very well to contain japan, it was japan who were not great at finishing plays.
j binnie
Guest
Fuss- you know me much better than that,I would never venture an opinion on how a team from 1974 would perform in today's climate,I simply pointed out that when looking for "a year" in your experience that we had a team playing in the last 16 of the World Cup which is further on than where we were the other night.Were you to ask me what todays "advances" would do for the likes of Wilson,Curran,Mackay ,Rooney,Richards and Alston,we'll never know, but they did get to play in Germany against what could be deemed world class players. I rest my case. jb
Ralph Nadeer
Roar Rookie
Take a chill pill Bily or have another toke my friend and relax, its all happening and we are moving forward. No worries, we will win the next two games quite comfortably to get to Brazil (the land of happiness) and wonder what we were worrying about. If it wasn't for a freaky own goal against Oman (oh man) and a last minute penalty against Japan (ja man) , we would already be qualified. Don't worry, bee happee!
pbedo
Guest
If Australia beat them in neutral ground wc2006 there's no reason why they couldnt be beaten in Japan
Ralph Nadeer
Roar Rookie
Do some research Bily before you shoot your mouth off at Lowy. He is only the chairman of FFA. The day to day running decisions are made by the CEO David Gallop. Any major issues are decided by the FFA board and Lowy (as chairman) only gets a vote if the board decision is split and even, he has the casting vote. To date there have been no split decisions, so Lowy has not even been required to vote yet.
Ralph Nadeer
Roar Rookie
OZTAM is not a representative random population sample. People are interviewed and selected to join and one of the questions is do you watch a lot of commercial TV. The ratings are used by 7, 9 and 10 to work out the advertising charges and are biased towards them, so they get the most advertising dollars they can. SBS and ABC are ALWAYS under-estimated by OZTAM, you can usually double the OZTAM figures for SBS and ABC to get closer to the real figure. But don't forget all ratings are ESTIMATES and the estimates are made up by OZTAM.
c
Guest
fuss nice numbers ? can you prepare my budget forecasts by my bank thanks :)
Bily
Guest
The FFA are a fucking joke and couldn't pump a flat tyre.
Bily
Guest
Oztam is a criminal organisation run by CH's 7, 9 & 10 for the sole benefit of CH's 7,9 & 10!
DPL
Guest
I'm OS at the moment, how are the crowd figures looking for the two crunch games at home? I would have thought that FFA would be pumping these games up massively with two wins required. I know i was devastated not to be in the stadium for the Uruguay match... Some very evocative scenes from that match could be used in advertising... 'See history made twice'...????
Bily
Guest
Too right my friend, Footballs biggest enemy in Australia is actually Frank Lowy who constantly interferes with it's advancement by sabotaging the game with his insane decisions.
Bily
Guest
"Perhaps his prolonged exile from Villa’s first team has affected him?" - so who has Holman got to blame for that other than himself? He was doing fine in Holland but he had to go to the EPL. I think hes got exactly what he deserves. He should be held up as a lesson to other Australian players who clamour for the false glamour of the EPL.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
jb I'll have to take your advice on the Team of '74, since I can't say I remember any of their games. Only you will be able to assess whether the Team of '74 would have performed better last night than the current lads. NZL's Team of 2010 never lost a game at WC2010 - in a Group that included the previous World Champions - but, I wouldn't put them on a pedestal. They grafted & got 3 draws.
Realfootbal
Guest
As noted in previous discussions, you have a very narrow view of what constitutes success. Verbeek's Australians played awful football and qualified via a string of lucky results and narrow escapes, and he significantly damaged the Socceroo brand - one example being the game against China in Sydney. If that game wasn't a mistake, I don't know what is. And please, LEAVE THE CAPS ALONE. Shouting at other posters is bad form.
Adam
Guest
New dawners....
j binnie
Guest
Fuss -----1974.! A team of part timers had to travel over half of Asia ,and win, to get to Germany ,where they played the ultimate winners West Germany ,losing 0-3,the very strong East Germany, lost 0-2, and drew their last game against a South American qualifier.Chile. Before you remonstrate with me have a look at the German team -----Maier,Brietner,Beckenbaur,Overath,Mueller,and Hoeness,,all world stars in their own right. jb
j binnie
Guest
Brendo- Much of what you say is based on sound thinking. Just one small correction.SSG's were introduced into Australian coaching manuals around 1976 and many of our Golden Generation have admitted to playing them in their formative years. I have a photo taken with my grandson's small sided team ,when they played in a small sided team league some 9 years ago..The idea is not new it has only been ignored in Australia for various reasons,lack of money to pay qualified coaches being the main one.Apart from that I agree with the rest of your comment. jb
j binnie
Guest
Fuss - Only one thing wrong with your arithmetic,as part of the NC we also have an elite spotting program that one must assume would lead to an elite training squad,and if this is part of the master plan a 13 year old in 2009 (or was the plan in place around 2007) would now be 17 or 19. Can I quote you a few names you may be able to add to, Dennis Law was playing top English football when he was 15,Duncan Edwards was playing with the full England team when he was 18,and of course Best was playing with MAN U at 19. There are many many more but I think you will get the gist of what I am saying. Your sums only ring true for 6 year olds at 2009, but what about the 7-17 years olds that one assumes should be part of the programmeover the last 4-6 years. jb
j binnie
Guest
Fuss - By far and away most of the players playing last night played under Verbeek (who also said our HAL players were not yet good enough) and as only Milligan from our local league started, has anything changed?.There was nothing unusual in the tactics last night, the instruction was simple, "hold what you have and try and score on the fast break". Is that so different from Pym's philosphy or could it even be traced back to Chapman's famous quote made around 1924, almost 90 years ago,to his Arsenal team,"you have a point when you go on the field,don't come off without it !!!!!!!!!. Your mate jb