There was a moment in the last 10 minutes of Australia’s quarter-final victory over China when I missed a few heartbeats, held my breath, and might have uttered “please, no…”
I think Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou might have seen it too. Tim Cahill, the man with more hashtags than any player in the tournament, chased down the Chinese back four as they were playing the ball out of defence.
Cahill attempted a tackle from behind the Chinese central defender, who stumbled but played the ball into his teammate’s feet and the moment was over.
But let’s imagine for a moment that Cahill’s challenge was mistimed, perhaps a little more robust. The defender goes down, the referee signals for a free kick and hand goes to pocket. Yellow card, and Cahill is out of the semi-final match.
At the World Cup last year, Cahill said in an interview that he plays “in the moment”. He doesn’t think of yellow cards or consequences for future games, he goes out and gives everything for the game he’s engaged in, for the team he is picked in, for the country that has been so damned lucky to have him as a representative.
On such small moments, the fortunes of nations can revolve. It’s why the overwhelming enthusiasm from Socceroos fans that greeted the quarter-final results in the Asian Cup needs to be tempered. Postecoglou knows this and has managed his squad masterfully to this point. Both Mile Jedinak and Cahill were withdrawn at 2-0 against China, a score famously proven to not be enough by Iran in 1997, but enough this time for the Socceroos to progress to an inevitable showdown against Japan.
But wait a minute… there is no Japan heading to Newcastle, and there will no doubt be those who believe that gives the Socceroos an easier passage to the final on January 31. Ange will be sticking it to the squad from here until Tuesday not to buy into that sort of complacency.
Indeed, United Arab Emirates are ranked 20 places above Australia in FIFA’s rankings (although you could put as much stock on that as winning a bingo sheet at the local RSL club). UAE have proven themselves resilient and legitimate contenders. They rode their luck against Japan for sure and were beaten on every stat sheet to come out of the game. But it wasn’t one-sided on the only stat sheet that counted.
It reminded me of an amazing World Cup qualifier more than 40 years ago when England played Poland at Wembley Stadium, needing a win to qualify for the 1974 World Cup finals. Poland managed the most extraordinary escape, hanging on for a 1-1 draw on a night when England conspired to hit posts, defenders on the line, an inspired keeper named Jan Tomaszewski, (infamously referred to by Brian Clough in the post-match wrap as a “clown”) and fall on the sword of their own wayward finishing.
Nothing was expected of Poland as they took their place in the World Cup finals. The game was an aberration, a freakish riding of luck. Poland finished third in the World Cup.
UAE have the defensive capabilities to shut out the Socceroos, especially if the team comes to rely too much on Cahill. There will be a fine balancing act between attacking force and panic to tread if the game goes a long time without an Australian goal. And of course, there is Omar Abdulrahman to contend with, a player arguably just as dangerous to Australia as Cahill is to the UAE.
Perhaps one advantage not mentioned so much is that the Socceroos can now rely on almost total support in Newcastle. Japan’s fans threatened to take up half the stadium but UAE do not have the same level of support as Samurai Blue, and a jam-packed 24,000 wall of gold noise might just be worth some extra momentum if it becomes tight, as it no doubt will.
Even if the Socceroos do manage to get past UAE and secure a finals berth, they’ll face one of two teams who have managed to cause problems in the recent past.
South Korea of course are the only team so far to hold the Socceroos scoreless in the tournament. Iraq are largely a side that has grown together over the last four years, and a virtual youth side not even two years ago when a Josh Kennedy header was the only thing separating the two teams in that final World Cup qualifier. They are strong, attacking, skilful, and like the Socceroos, bely their FIFA ranking.
Having Japan and Iran heading for the airport departure lounge might look like a luxury but the Socceroos are not there yet.
Ben
Guest
I think he had about five defenders between him and the goal when it was put into the box.
Batou
Guest
Cool, we unlocked their defense by NOT scoring. That was original...
Ben of Phnom Penh
Roar Guru
Cheers, apaway. I suppose what I meant to say was the system Ange has in place requires a little more guile to work against a deep sitting, structured defence and as such Oar may have more to offer in this area than some of our other players who excel with a bit of space on offer.
Professor Rosseforp
Guest
Thanks.
apaway
Roar Guru
Professor Cahill's challenge looked fair to me. He had his back to the two Chinese defenders as the ball came across, and they collided with each other. He was also well onside when the ball was lobbed back in; the Chinese defence seemed to stop as he backed towards goal, and the guy on the ground was playing him onside too.
apaway
Roar Guru
Ben, a lot of people are expecting Milligan to come in for Bresciano. But given Ange has been playing with only one guy in the holding role, it might just be that Oar comes in as a left-sided Number 10, partnering Luongo with Jedinak sitting behind them.
britesparke
Roar Rookie
All this talk of " the tournament is Australia's to lose" demonstrates a scant regard for the remaining teams in the competition. UAE have the very big scalp of Japan and should not be "glossed over". The winner of Korea vs Iraq with Iraq having taken out Iran in a thriller and Korea having inflicted one loss on the Socceroos. This is quality opposition and I am nervous and apprehensive with two games to go!
britesparke
Roar Rookie
With regards to the Korean defence when they played Australia, if you were to look at a replay you will notice that, with the exception of the Kruse shot, all the other attempts had Korean markers nearby to interfere or prevent a clear sight/shot on goal. This was something that was rehearsed and planned, particularly after Ange had been telegraphing his intentions all week in the media-there were no surprises for the opposition. As for not finding the back of the net, I am a Wanderers supporter, and can obviously demonstrate to you what happens when the back of the net is not found - your club soon becomes the "foundation" for all the other teams above them -stone, motherless last!
midfielder
Guest
Great reaf been at the beach all day ... Thank heavens for saint Timmy ..... TBH I think it's ours to loose.
holly
Guest
Sack ANGE !! No, wait .....
Qantas supports Australian Football
Guest
Unlocking a defence mean putting the ball in the back of the net... Did we do that against Sth Korea..? I think you better look at the score sheet again. I think next time we meet we might get it right. But on the other side, so may they.
The Bear
Guest
This has been a truly great Tourny for the 'Roos and us fans and pundits. Come what may, all the best and enjoy the show. Nice to see another piece, Apaway.
apaway
Roar Guru
Nitpick away, Nordburg, oversight on my part. Seems like Ange only used 2 subs, and I'd convinced myself that Milligan came on for Jedinak when of course he replaced Cahil. Thanks for picking that up.
Professor Rosseforp
Guest
"although you could put as much stock on that as winning a bingo sheet at the local RSL club" -- if you have the winning numbers, you still take the meat tray home at the end of the night! On Cahill's first goal, it was a brilliant piece of "in the moment" playing, but I felt the referee could have penalised him for the first tackle. Can anybody enlighten me about whether it was possible that he was offside? It seemed marginal to me, and the linesmen had seemed slightly behind the action throughout the game. Do offside rules still apply in the situation that resulted in the goal? I would not underestimate the size of a UAE-supporting contingent in the next game. These are genuine questions to improve my knowledge of the rules. All credit to the Socceroos, as I did not think they would get this far, and they have played better than many of us expected -- albeit with problems still to be sorted out. I was also interested to see that more and more people are hoping the China match was Bresciano's last. I am giving away plenty of years to Bresciano, and am one of the worst players you might see ever, but I think I could have played his role in the China match wihout any difficulty.
apaway
Roar Guru
The yellows are scrubbed FOR the semis. However, had Cahill collected a second yellow in the quarter, he'd have missed the semi.
Uncle Junior
Guest
So, if teams like Australia and Uzbekistan consistently got behind the Korean defence I don't rate that as a positive for the Korean defence, but more a reflection on the lack of composure or technical deficiency on the part of the Australian and Uzbekistan attack. If Australia and Uzbekistand didn't have the ability to put the ball in the net that is definitely not something Uli Stielike planned, or organised.
AZ_RBB
Guest
Uzbekistan "unlocked" that defence just as many times as we did. But neither team had the ability to put the ball in the back of the net. As someone following WSW this season I could spend days telling you the difference between creating chances and converting them haha. We can't waste chances against UAE like we did against China.
Uncle Junior
Guest
South Korea haven't conceded a single goal in 390 minutes of football, yet Australia had no trouble unlocking this well-organised South Korean defence at least half a dozen times. Under Ange's system, when it's properly implemented, I don't see any issues with Australia unlocking any defence in Asia. I see our major weakness being losing concentration and being exposed when the ball enters our penalty box. I think Sainsbury and Spiranovic are doing a great job but our wing backs, wide attacking midfielders & defensive midfielders must not allow opposition players to have space and time outside the penalty box to pick their passes or shots.
Ben of Phnom Penh
Roar Guru
Do we have the creativity to unlock UAE? A game potentially better suited to Oar than Leckie. It will be interesting to see how we approach this.
JR Salazar
Guest
Dear Socceroos, Good luck, mates. Signed, JR