Australia and Denmark set sights on knockout berth
Scenes of wild celebrations featuring flares and fire are not the norm in Australia ater World Cup matches. Yet that was exactly what happened in Melbourne’s Fed Square ater the Socceroos beat Tunisia on Saturday for just their third win in 18 World Cup matches.
Now, Australia is ater something even bigger: reaching the last 16 of soccer’s biggest event something they have achieved only once, in 2006.
Australia faces European Championship semifinalist Denmark in their decisive final group game on Wednesday, with the winner likely advancing.
“It’s been an amazing reaction from our result. And so there should be,” said Australia striker Mitchell Duke, who scored with a header in the 1-0 win against Tunisia. “But we haven’t achieved anything yet.
“It was amazing to get that result and get that third win in a World Cup for Australia. But we’re not happy and satisfied with that,” Duke added. “We want more and we do believe that we can get out of the group and we can get a result against Denmark and that’s our main objective now.”
Defending champion France has already advanced to the knockout stages in Group D with a full six points from their opening two games. Australia sits next with three points, while Denmark and Tunisia trail with one point each.
Australia will qualify with a win, or a draw unless Tunisia beats France. Denmark needs to win and hope that Tunisia doesn’t beat France.
Australia is counting on France performing well against Tunisia.
“There’s players out there that are hungry for individual awards. And (France forward Kylian) Mbappe will want to keep scoring goals to try and get the Golden Boot and things like that,” Duke said. “So I’m hopeful all those players in the French squad keep that same mentality and want to get the full clean sweep in their group to get the result and do us a favor against Tunisia.”
Although, as Duke also pointed out, “as long as we get the job done against Denmark, it doesn’t mater.”
Australia drew 1-1 with Denmark in the group phase of the last World Cup in 2018.
But Denmark will expect more of themselves ater a lackluster 0-0 opening draw with Tunisia and a 2-1 loss to France.
’It is very clear and it is very easy; we don’t have to make any calculations or think (about) other options,” Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand said. “It is straighforward; we will try to win the match, that is it.”
Meanwhile, Australia coach Arnold said that his team’s exploits at the Qatar World Cup can “put football on the map” at home and unite the nation.
Australia are on the cusp of reaching the last 16 for only the second time in their history, matching the achievement of a “golden generation” who made the same stage in 2006.
Victory over Euro 2020 semi-finalists Denmark on Wednesday will guarantee a spot in the knockout rounds while a draw could also be enough.
Arnold declared that in a sports-mad country where football traditionally comes behind cricket, both rugby codes and Australian rules, the Socceroos “unite the nation” like no other national team.
Arnold said that the 1-0 win over Tunisia which put Australia in pole position to join holders France from Group D in the knockout rounds had put smiles on faces.
But speaking on the eve of the Denmark showdown, Arnold cautioned: “Puting smiles on Australian faces once is not enough, let’s do it some more times.”