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Opinion
Australia has defeated United Arab Emirates 2-1 in Doha and booked a date with Peru to decide which of the two nations will be competing at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The win included all the drama, hope and disappointment typical of a Socceroos qualifying campaign before the victory was eventually claimed with just six minutes of normal time remaining on the clock.
Fans rose early on the east coast of Australia and in the wee hours out west in the hope of seeing a rare 2022 Socceroo win. Eventually it came, yet not before the Australians had the nation teetering, as extra time appeared likely late in the game.
It was a first half without dare, intensity or adventure from the Socceroos, where a couple of UAE attacking flashpoints down the right wing of Nathaniel Atkinson were the only serious threats on goal. The Socceroos showed little in attack, playing with a conservatism that was frustrating to watch at times.
There was plenty of possession for the Aussies, lateral passing galore, yet almost no penetration bar a few shifts to the left wing, where Aziz Behich and Craig Goodwin did manage to offer something late in the half. However, for the most part the Socceroos played the opening 45 minutes like a team determined not to lose a game of football rather than one focused on winning it.
Things did improve early in the second as the speed of the game picked up and the Australians began to attack with a greater sense of purpose. The deadlock was to be broken after a nice exchange of passes down the right-hand side, as Martin Boyle found his way in behind the UAE defence and cut the ball back purposefully.
Jackson Irvine was on hand to neatly tuck away the pass in the 53rd minute, and Socceroo fans dared to dream of another successful navigation of an inter-confederation play-off, this time against Peru.
Sadly, such forward-thinking and distraction was matched by the Socceroos back four, as Brazilian born Caio Canedo equalised just three minutes later when the ball fell handily for him in the box after the dangerous Harib Abdalla had provided from the left-hand side.
It was a rather stunning crash back to earth for those clutching Socceroo scarves on their lounges right around the nation, and as the game settled, the prospect of extra time loomed.
However, Australia’s most consistent Socceroo in 2022 was to seize a moment that would ultimately prove the difference in the match not long after Craig Goodwin had muffed a chance to do the same off his left foot with the goal mouth at his mercy.
In the 84th minute a Socceroos corner was partially cleared and fell to Ajdin Hrustic at the edge of the box. His subsequent strike was timed as sweetly as a football can be, and as the ball rifled towards the keeper, a deflection ensured that any chance the shot-stopper had of claiming it was lost.
The ball settled in the back of the net as Hrustic added another moment to Socceroo folklore with one of the best national team strikes we have seen for some time.
UAE threw all they had at the Australians in the final minutes, yet Mathew Ryan remained poised at the back. The back four were compact and efficient, and the odd thrust forward kept the opposition away from dangerous areas for the most part.
As comforting and satisfying as the win may be, Graham Arnold’s players know that a potentially greater challenge lies ahead against Peru next Tuesday morning Australian time.
Aaron Mooy will be fatigued after playing extended minutes this morning, Jamie Maclaren offered spark when he entered the game and will come into calculations for a starting position, and Atkinson’s role at right back will be reconsidered after he was caught out a number of times by the speedy Abdalla.
Arnold will formulate a plan, select a team and hopefully pull off another heroic Socceroo scenario of the sort we are all too familiar with. Today was Australia’s day, yet there does need to be one more like it if the Socceroos are to be returning to Qatar for the World Cup later in the year.