Australia and Saudi Arabia battled to a bad tempered draw in Parramatta, with torrents of rain and the crocodile tears of the visitors adding to a wet squib of a night that spells trouble for Socceroos World Cup campaign.
After winning the opening three games of this stage of qualifying, and 11 World Cup qualifiers in a row, the Socceroos have now dropped five points from the last six.
The result was far better for Saudi Arabia, winning their first point on Australian soil, to stay top of the group with 13 points from five games. Australia, who face China on Wednesday AEDT, have 10 from five and Japan have six from four.
Socceroos coach Graham Arnold said a win over China would leave his team in a “fantastic position”.
“Overall we played well, we created chances but they didn’t go in,” said Arnold. “Then a little bit of frustration set in with the time wasting and tactics from the Saudis.
“We have to learn to be better with that because that’s when they came up with their chances.”
The Saudis must have found the wet conditions outside their comfort zone, but they never let the hosts settle in a tight, bruising battle.
The Socceroos dominated for most of the contest but the visitors, who had been pampered on a private jet for their journey down under, stormed home and Ryan was forced to produce three good second half saves. Australia’s disappointment was exacerbated through the loss of Stoke defender Harry Souttar to what appeared a serious knee injury with 12 minutes left in the game.
Neither team had a shot on target in the first half and it took Australia 53 minutes to muster one, as Mat Leckie forced his way into ascendency on the left side of the area. He took his time with the shot but was denied by the angle and the foot of Mohammed Al-Yami.
Three minutes later Jackson Irvine was teed up in front after Awer Mabil’s persistence on the left but skewed a shot wide.
Al-Yami, the Saudis’ third choice keeper playing his third international, then made a sharp double save, parrying a Mabil freekick and then denying a follow up strike from Martin Boyle with an outstretched foot.
“It’s match saving goal keeping,” said Andy Harper on the 10 coverage.
Former Socceroo Luke Wilkshire said Irvine’s was the key miss.
“He needs to be putting that away,” said the ex-World Cup player. “These moments at this level they’ve got to go in.”
Alex Brosque added: “You could see when those chances didn’t go in the Saudis grew in confidence.”
Just as Australia had flooded forward, the tap turned off and the Saudis had asscendency down the final quarter hour.
Ajdin Hrustic had been superb in an Australian team missing Aaron Mooy and Tom Rogic, but faded down the stretch while Leckie ran out of steam in his first start in five months.
The Saudis frustrated Australia with sly, late tackles and their propensity to go to ground often and with overwrought theatrics.
In the end Australia was grateful they left with a point.
With six minutes left Salman Al-Faraj was given too much time to cross from the left and beautifully picked out Saleh Al-Shehri who glanced his header just wide with Ryan beaten.
Ryan had to make another save, his most spectacular of the lot, as the Australians were listing dangerously.
“There were inches in it at times, a few cross when I was close to get something on it,” said Leckie. It was one of those games where the ball didn’t want to go in. We created chances and on another day they would have gone in.
“It’s unfortunate we didn’t get the three points for the fans.”
Pork Chop
Roar Rookie
Arnold has always played his favourites and in the past has frozen out players that didn’t answer the call because of unfavourable domestic situations. Nobody but him knows why the squad is as he has picked it and I fear he is favouring players he is trying to mould into his family. He was sadly out coached against Japan and it is obvious the Frenchman employed tactics to nullify our strengths……. not a decent cross into the danger zone, actually can’t remember the last opportunity header Souttar had. Once our strengths were so obviously nullified Arnold had no plan b.
Simoc
Roar Rookie
I missed the game but the comments are way askew. I watched the Japan game and our best players are out there doing their best. Looking at the skill set the best players are playing in the Worlds Premier Leagues. We don't have them and quality goal scorers are always in demand. We don't have them either. So it looks like our national team can only base their game on solid defence and work out set piece scoring opportunities. It doesn't sound great but if we're buying a national team ours would be one of the cheapest value teams on the market.
chris
Guest
600k with regionals.
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
Niko is sidelined by La Fondre Bobo, you have two old slow strikers. Caceres is top three players at Sydney, along with Barbarouses and Grant. If Arnie wants to play out from the back then he should be picking Caceres in the starting line up its thats simple. He offers both the ability to do that and to defend turnovers from others losing the ball you cant find both elsewhere. McGree and Irvine kick and chase players. Antonis first season at MV he came in and turned their whole season around with a title. The next season he got stuck in a talented team which lacked wide players with speed and was forced to play wide in their place not his game. I would pick Antonis over Mooy, Rogic, and Hrustic , because of his engine , he is heat, jetlag and repeat game proof just lacks speed.
Jordan Sports Fan
Roar Rookie
I saw a full page ad in Courier Mail. Not the be all and end all but worth noting.
Jordan Sports Fan
Roar Rookie
Totally agree on the interviews thing. Whenever they did it on fox they were at pains to talk up how good it is to get access to players, and every time I though, good for who exactly? Disinterested players giving generic responses for 15 seconds. Big whoop.
Grem
Roar Rookie
Wait till they add The EPL - ratings will go higher.
Grem
Roar Rookie
Plus everyone who streamed the game on 10Play. The figures are even better than that.
TK
Guest
The perennial problem JB!
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
Given time, I would like to believe that is going to change. CBS/Viacom are not going to make the business decisions, and commitment they have made without ensuring that their investment is a success. The rhetoric is that they want to make 10 the football channel, if they do, that's going to be a household fact before you know it. They are only just starting.
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
Agree wholeheartedly that he was missed. I'm just saying that it's not within the realms of impossibility.
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
Contrary to your self-belief, it doesn't always work the way you espouse from the top of the self-perceived mountain you see yourself sitting upon. You cannot make a statement such as the one above and expect it to hold water. It's an opinion, but in relation to you expression here, I would suggest that your generalisation holds about as much water as a sieve. The sermon from the mount is becoming rather tiresome and I believe others on this forum would concur.
Nick Symonds
Guest
Maclaren 46 goals from last 45 A-League matches (1 in 0.97) Duke 20 goals from last 43 A-League matches (1 in 2.15) Rukavytsya 21 goals from last 35 matches in Israel (1 in 1.66) Leckie 2 goals from his last 42 matches in Germany (1 in 21) Note: Both of his goals were on his debut for Hertha BSC on matchday one of the 2017–18 Bundesliga season against VfB Stuttgart in a 2–0 home victory. After that, zero goals and just 1 assist in the next 41 matches.
sam
Guest
473k
Nick Symonds
Guest
STRIKER SELECTION Maclaren 24 goals from 25 matches for Melbourne City last season 22 from 20 in previous season 5 from 9 in season before that 6 from 18 for Australia (1 in 3) Duke 6 goals from 17 for Western Sydney Wanderers last season 14 from 26 in previous season 4 from 11 in season before that 6 from 11 for Australia (1 in 1.83) Rukavytsya 2 goals from 7 matches this season 19 goals from 28 matches in previous season 22 goals from 36 matches in season before that 0 from 2 for Australia Leckie 0 goals from 17 matches last season 0 from 7 in previous season 2 from 18 in season before that 13 from 65 for Australia (1 in 5) Note: Leckie had only scored twice from his previous 42 matches at club level. That works out to just 1 goal every 21 matches. Yet he was started ahead of the other three strikers. To make matters worse Mabil and Hrustic had similar stats and all the pressure came down on Boyle, just as it did in the match against Japan.
Lionheart
Roar Rookie
a bit ironic wasn't it, that the experts on the panel pre-game tipped Saudi would tire as the match went on. But on that, I greatly appreciated that Ten didn't pretend to own the game by having their commentators on the ground interviewing players at half-time and full-time.
striker
Guest
yeah man it was saturated all over the TV and newspapers promoting the game not, you would be lucky to know it was on unless your a die hard like us, still shows you the anti football media still hates this game with a passion even in 2021.
TheSecretScout
Roar Guru
im confident you could do a job with that city squad and all that money behind you lol being the coach of a club with unlimited money is easy, if you have a problem you just throw money at the problem to fix it. like i said, kisnorbo doesnt impress me - put him in charge of a smaller a league club with minimal budget and lets see how good a coach he is or better yet, leave australia and go overseas (he has the city group connections)
Para+Ten ISUZU Subway support Australian Football
Roar Rookie
FiL - I think there must be a little more to it why Mooy didn't make it home. Perhaps, Covid restrictions may have played a part? Nonetheless, his organization and composure in the midfield was greatly missed.
TheSecretScout
Roar Guru
My whole point is creating depth for several positions within the national team, the only way you do this is with training camps for other players - its teh same principle as the 80s/90/00s