It wasn’t exactly a magnificent seven as Tajikistan was put to the sword by a second-gear Socceroos side in South Australia.
Coach Ange Postecoglou had called for an intimidating atmosphere but really, it was not what he wanted.
There are only a few countries that can produce an intimidating atmosphere against lowly opposition and I don’t think Australia is one of them.
It tends to stem from the tension of a clash where the stakes are high and/or there is the presence of a rival or a strong team. A hint of intimidation against Tajikistan would only come if the Socceroos suddenly did not look like winning. And that was never on the cards.
The atmosphere will be different for games against Japan, South Korea and Iran in the next stage of qualification.
Talking of Iran, Harry Redknapp will be the cheekiest cockney in an Australian dugout since a certain Terry Venables but while the former Spurs boss may make the pre-match build-up more interesting, he will have his work cut out turning a Jordan team into one that is prepared to take on the Aussies in Sydney.
But even Redknapp and his easy media manner and comments that make for better copy than not taking things lightly, will not be able to make these next two games exciting.
As Asian champions at home, there should be little question as to Australia getting the points it needs for top spot even after Jordan’s 8-0 dismissal of Bangladesh in Amman.
What is up for debate is whether playing teams like Tajikistan or Bangladesh is a good idea. I saw some on social media questioning – mostly rhetorically – whether both nations were getting anything out of the game. There were more last September when the Socceroos thrashed the Bengal Tigers.
This is an issue that basically depends on your opinion. For me, what Australia gets are three points after a scheduled game against fellow Asian opposition. Australia knew after leaving Oceania, where such results were commonplace, that Asia is the world’s most diverse continent in many fields, including football.
For every Korea, Japan and Iran offering the kind of tough tests that the Socceroos craved, there are others that offer less of a challenge. It was ever thus and ever thus will be.
But it is in the interest of everyone that there is as much engagement between the top and bottom as possible. It will help some start to challenge and all, hopefully, to improve.
I talked with the (then) Bangladesh coach after the 5-0 thrashing in Perth last year. Sure, he said, it was not nice to lose by such a scoreline but the experience something his players would never forget.
As the sadly late but very great Johan Cruyff once said: “”Winning is an important thing, but to have your own style, to have people copy you, to admire you, that is the greatest gift.” That is an example Australia can aspire to set on the pitch.
Off it, it is even more important. Games against AFC giants give players, officials and coaching staff from smaller football nations the opportunity to see the facilities and set-ups that are a world apart. Going to Australia, one of the most successful sporting nations in the world, shows what just may be possible.
It also gets the media back home excited and this all helps the game grow and it is the same with Tajikistan. And if there is one player who can catch the eye of an A-League coach and get called for a trial, it gives the whole country a boost.
Nobody would argue that there is not a huge divide between the best and worst of Asia. That is exactly why the big boys need to help the minnows.
There are plenty of precedents. I remember England thrashing Turkey at almost every meeting, it took South Korea decades to win a first World Cup game and the same with Japan in rugby. What is the case now, will not be forever.
It is true that only some countries have the potential to challenge in years and decades to come but even those who are destined for an eternal destiny of fifth-seed pot placements can improve. And if they do, then so does Asia, and then so does Australia.
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