“What a great effort!” was the catchcry after the Socceroos’ 3-1 loss to Chile in their opening match of the World Cup.
Unlike most active Socceroos fans, I did not watch this game live. I was coaching my junior side in our local league match, which kicked off half an hour into the match in Cuiaba.
I had to rely on a smartphone app that attracted my glances every five or so minutes and as my team battled away, the Socceroos too fought with the pride of a nation at stake.
My initial thoughts on the result alone was that the Socceroos had really put in a typical underdog performance with backs against the wall, which is what most tweets, posts and match reports said.
That is the thing with this World Cup for Socceroos fans – we are all saying “just give it your best”, as if Tim Cahill, Tommy Oar and Alex Wilkinson weren’t planning to do that in the first place.
“A decade ago the Socceroos weren’t even in the World Cup, so we are just happy to be there.” What sort of stupid statement is that?
Ten years ago we didn’t have a stable national league. Ten years ago we were beating islander nations by eight or more goals by playing battle-yard soccer. Ten years ago we would not get excited about the prospect of playing in an Asian Cup final against Japan.
Ten years ago is half my life time ago and I am not dwelling on the ridiculous board shorts my mum made me wear in 2004. Move on!
What caused this frustration? I decided to actually watch the match. I sat down in anticipation of a valiant effort from the green and gold, defending like they had never defended before. What I saw was three examples of really mediocre defending in a game the Socceroos could and should have won.
For the first goal there were six Socceroos in the six-yard box – more than half the team – and not one of them got their boots dirty to clear the ball. Mat Ryan will be disappointed to have put out a weak hand, but it shouldn’t have been able to fall to Alexis Sanchez with next to zero pressure on him.
The second goal was probably the worst, with Jorge Valdivia somehow able to stand free on the edge of the box with nine Socceroos in and around the 18. It was a fine finish into the top left hand corner, but if you are paid to play soccer you should be able to hit the top corner from 20 metres away if no one is closing you down.
The fact that these two goals happened within two minutes of each other must have made Ange Postecoglou furious. Having gone down a goal, the next five should be about doing the basics in order to push on and get an equaliser rather than conceding a second from essentially the same error.
After the first 20 minutes the Socceroos played well. They didn’t dominate possession, but as this World Cup has already shown that doesn’t really matter. By the 80-minute mark however the Socceroos should not have only still been in the game, they should have been winning by a goal or more.
Tim Cahill had a headed goal rightfully disallowed for offside minutes before Mark Bresciano really should have equalised regardless of the fine save from Chile’s keeper and captain, Claudio Bravo. Matthew Leckie played well for an attacker in a Socceroos team that fans kept saying would be a source of pride if they could score a point, as if our frontline is led by players playing in the local church league.
Jean Beausejour came on to end the match in extra time with a hard, low strike into the far bottom corner. Tthat’s what happens in football if you don’t take your chances.
The Socceroos had more shots then Chile, but we didn’t take them. By the flow of the match, we should have won the thing.
Chile won because they had a bit of arrogance about them. They, along with their nation, were confident that they would beat Australia and because of that they did.
On the other hand, the Socceroos, who I knew would have the passion they needed to fight and show the world what they are capable of, were backed by a nation of supporters that were content with just being there and hoping not to get flogged.
If the broader Australian footballing public had the confidence or even the arrogance to believe that we could win the match, then they actually might have.
I am one of a handful that actually didn’t want Ange Postecoglou as the national boss because I felt that he wouldn’t be able to bring his club successes to the international stage, however he won me over with his bold attitude regarding the group they were drawn into. He was not going to settle, and he certainly was not going to be happy with just being in Brazil.
Fans of football who only surface around World Cup time frustrate me because they take the game in four-year blocks. For them the 2006 World Cup was only two seasons ago, but in the real world that isn’t the case.
It is time for Australians to start backing the Socceroos up with some confidence to match their pride.
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Even though St.Pauli ultimately lost a high-scoring affair, Jackson Irvine was a standout, as well as scoring a late goal.
What if we celebrated all of the achievements big and small, and weeded out those hell-bent on bringing down a game that is doing a hell of a lot right?
A good performance from Michael Ruhs, scoring twice to beat Macarthur and doubling his season goal tally in the process.
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