First a win . . . then a wait
MATHEW Leckie last night gave the Socceroos a World Cup qualifying lifeline, striking a late winner to earn Australia a 2-1 win over Thailand in Melbourne. But whether Leckie’s goal was enough to send the Socceroos to Russia next year remained to be seen. Australia had to sweat on the result of this morning’s Saudi Arabia-Japan match, and hope Japan did us a favour.
FATE last night appeared to conspire against the Socceroos in their search of a fourth consecutive FIFA World Cup qualification.
The Socceroos battered Thailand to the extent that if it were a boxing bout the referee would have called it off by the sixth round.
But this is international soccer and Australia somehow managed to only score just two goals, via Tomi Juric and Mat Leckie, leaving its World Cup hopes in the hands of Japan overnight.
The Socceroos led shots on goal 46-8 and had 76 per cent possession, but plucky and improving Thailand frustrated Australia at a packed AAMI Park in Melbourne.
Aided by the urgency of Tim Cahill and the superb Aaron Mooy, the Socceroos set a cracking pace and created an abundance of early chances.
When Mooy and Cahill struck the post inside 17 minutes — the latter’s strike subsequently crawling across the face of goal — one sensed it wasn’t going to be Australia’s night. Milligan and Juric then had goal-bound shots blocked by desperate Thai defenders.
For all their misfortune, the Socceroos could have anticipated, gambled more inside the penalty area and improved their final ball.
Considering Thai keeper Sinthaweechai Hathairatanakul’s struggles with high balls and Cahill and Juric’s aerial prowess, Australia could have mixed it up a bit more and sent some earlier balls into the box and both Australian goals included suspect Thai defending from high balls.
Thai coach Milovan Rajevac virtually set up two banks of deep defence, including a back five with the dangerous duo of Teerasil Dangda and Chanatip Songkrasin.
Thailand should have had a penalty just after the restart when Trent Sainsbury made contact with Dangda inside the box after a turnover. Cahill was replaced by Robbie Kruse who was an inch away from scoring within seconds of his 57thminute substitution.
When Australia struck the upright for the third time with Rogic’s excellent 67th-minute effort, the Socceroos appeared doomed.
Thailand silenced the 26,393 crowd on 82 minutes when Pokklaw A-Nan’s shot went in via the underside of the bar. But Leckie restored the lead four minutes later.
The Socceroos threw numbers forward but it was to no avail as they left their destiny in the hands of others.