Expert
Australia have officially secured qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia with a 3-0 win over Honduras on Wednesday night.
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Final score
Socceroos 3
Honduras 0
It’s do or die for the Socceroos and Honduras, with a FIFA World Cup place on the line at Homebush. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 8pm (AEDT).
Australia dominated the first leg of this tie in San Pedro Sula but would have left Honduras feeling frustrated.
A 0-0 draw was the end result, and while it’s not the worst case scenario, it puts plenty of pressure on the Socceroos’ defence heading into the second leg.
Conceding a goal is not an option for Australia tonight, as while a scoreless draw will send the match to extra-time, a scored draw or loss will end Australia’s World Cup campaign.
Still, the Socceroos will be confident of their chances. On home turf, with a huge travel advantage – flying halfway back across the world on a charter flight – they should have the legs to go the distance.
The first leg saw Australia dominate for the majority of the match, and should have opened the scoring on a couple of occasions through Tomi Juric.
However, Honduras still looked dangerous at different points on an absolute cow paddock. The home side’s long balls were often dangerous, getting behind Australia’s back three, who were left to scramble to shut down raids.
Add that to the fact veteran Carlo Costly only came off the bench with 15 minutes to go and created their best opportunity of the match, and there is cause for concern. Costly is likely to start the second leg.
The Socceroos will have a huge home crowd behind them and have only lost one of their last 59 World Cup Qualifiers played at home. That doesn’t account for draws, but it’s still comforting to know how well the Socceroos perform in Australia.
ANZ Stadium has been the site of many happy memories for the Socceroos. Qualification for two of the last three World Cups has been sealed on the ground, with John Aloisi’s famous penalty against Uruguay in 2005 and Josh Kennedy’s winner in 2013.
Tim Cahill is expected to be back after sitting on the bench for the entire first leg, while Matt Leckie and Mark Milligan are likely to come into the starting side after missing the first leg through suspension. Tom Rogic is also expected to start after his substitute appearance in San Pedro Sula, and Robbie Kruse is a chance to return after recovering from a knee injury.
Aaron Mooy will again be one of the keys in the midfield if Australia are to control the game through their passing game, which they did effectively against Syria in their previous play-off. The biggest problem for the Socceroos, though, has been converting opportunities, which has plagued Australia right throughout their qualification campaign.
Prediction
A Honduran goal is going to make things significantly harder, which means this will be a nerve-racking evening for Socceroos fans, but Australia should move through to the Cup.
Socceroos 2 – Honduras 0.
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