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Australia have held Colombia to a 0-0 draw in London in their second match under the reign of new Dutch manager Bert van Marwijk.
After the poor defeat at the hands of Norway on Saturday, it was a much-improved performance from the Socceroos and one that will earn much praise from the football media.
» REACTION: Socceroos vastly improved after meek Oslo performance
The chances were dominated by Colombia and if not for Danny Vukovic’s saving of the penalty which he conceded late in the game, the Australians may well have tasted defeat. However, even if that was to be the case, there were promising signs in their general play.
Massimo Luongo, Tom Rogic and Andrew Nabbout worked well in combination with Luongo producing some wonderful touches throughout the game and really testing the Colombian defence.
Defensively, things looked a lot better and Josh Risdon did well at right back, a place where the Socceroos have had some troubles in recent times.
Overall, it was a good taste of what to expect in the World Cup. Playing against high quality teams such as Colombia (ranked 13 in the world) and defending like their life depends on it will be the plan of attack during the World Cup.
What the Socceroos showed tonight is that they are able to counter and create a few chances of their own; something me must do better to alleviate the pressure on the defence.
Final score
Australia 0 Colombia 0
The Socceroos face Colombia in the second of their friendlies as they continue building for the 2018 World Cup. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 6am (AEDT).
Despite a somewhat disappointing result in Oslo against Norway on Saturday, the Socceroos have much at stake in terms of pushing for World Cup positions and showing the new manager, Bert van Marwijk, they are worthy of a spot in his team.
There weren’t many positives to come from the game played in freezing conditions and the Norwegians put the Australians to the sword after falling behind early.
There will be changes to the Socceroos team as the manager has limited time to observe his squad and will need to settle on combinations by the time the team head to Europe in June.
Today’s game will be a significant test as Colombia are a quality team and looking to fine tune their own preparations for the biggest sporting event on the planet.
Fulham’s Craven Cottage will host the encounter and the Socceroos will be looking for a far better performance against the South Americans whose recent results suggest they will a tough proposition for the Aussies.
Prediction
The Socceromuch-improvedn a much improved performance yet will struggle to hold the flair and skill in the Colombian attack.
Australia 1 – Colombia 4.
Catch all the action on The Roar from 6am (AEDT).