Gold (and green) generation
Australia advances — fair — as do football powers Argentina, France and Poland at the Fifa World Cup in Qatar
Australian football may have a new golden generation. Mathew Leckie scored and the Socceroos beat Denmark 1-0 yesterday to advance to the round of 16 at the World Cup for only the second time.
“I’m just so proud we’ve been able to put smiles on people’s faces,” coach Graham Arnold said, noting this is the first Australian team to win two straight games at a World Cup. “Maybe we’re talking about a new golden generation.”
The last Socceroos team to earn that honour got Australia into the knockout stage in 2006. This team did it again, and Arnold believes the achievement is worthy of a national holiday.
“Give the people a day off,” he said. “I think there will be some hangovers and some joy.”
The leader of the new generation could be Leckie, who took a pass near the centre circle from Riley McGree in the 60th minute and moved around a defender before hitting a left-footed shot past Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel.
“I went left and swung the left foot,” Leckie said, who was then mobbed by his teammates on the field and off the bench. “I think I got slapped in the head about 100 times.” Now Leckie wants more.
“We want to dream big,” he said. “I think the key was when we came to this tournament we always said we wanted to get out of the group. And now we’ve done that.
“Now the most important thing is to get ourselves ready because we worked super hard tonight. I think most of the boys are exhausted. That’s exactly what we needed to do to get a result today.”
Australia finished with six points in Group D. Defending champions France won the group on goal difference.
The World Cup proved to be a major disappointment for Denmark after reaching the semifinals at last year’s 2020 European Championship. They slogged through a 0-0 draw in their opening match with Tunisia and then recovered in a 2-1 loss to France.
Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand was unable to say why one of the world’s top-ranked teams played so poorly.
“No explanation,” he said. “Questions will be asked. But I think it’s important just to get a bit of distance to it so I can think rationally. I can’t do that right now. The emotions are too big. The frustrations are too big.
“We did not reach our level. There is not doubt about that,” Hjulmand said. “What else is certain is it’s my responsibility.”
● Rest easy, fans. Lionel Messi will grace the World Cup stage at least one more time.
The Argentina great had a penalty saved but his team still beat Poland 2-0 after second-half goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Julian Alvarez and advanced to the last 16.
Argentina finished in first place in Group C to set up a match against Australia. Messi’s likely final World Cup now rolls on to Sunday.
He will be relieved after failing to score a penalty for the second straight World Cup. It was awarded after being hit in the face by the flailing hand of Poland goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, who made amends by diving to his left to block Messi’s kick.
● From a generational-defining win over Lionel Messi and Argentina to the recent reports that Cristiano Ronaldo could soon be on his way to play in the kingdom, Saudi Arabia have caused a sensation at the World Cup.
The Green Falcons have nothing to be ashamed about after being eliminated from the World Cup following a 2-1 loss to Mexico.
The second-lowest ranked team in the tournament at No 51 ahead of only 61st-ranked Ghana, Saudi Arabia were competitive from start to finish at the first World Cup in the Middle East.
The Saudis opened with a surprising 2-1 victory over Argentina and also played solidly in a 2-0 loss to Poland before conceding two secondhalf goals to Mexico to finish last in Group C.
The fact that none of the Saudis play abroad may have been a surprise factor but the reality is that the country’s best players don’t need to go to Europe for rich contracts when they are paid handsomely in the lucrative Saudi league.
A high-paying contract is exactly what could lure Ronaldo to join six members of the Saudi national team at Al Nassr, one of the country’s leading clubs.
The reports linking Ronaldo with Al Nassr come after the five-time Ballon d’Or winner had his contract terminated by Manchester United.
Saudi-controlled Newcastle is also reportedly in the market for Ronaldo.
● Defending champion France won their World Cup group despite losing to Tunisia 1-0.
Wahbi Khazri scored in the 58th minute to give the Tunisians the victory, but it wasn’t enough to get them into the round of 16.
Khazri ran at the heart of the French defence and beat two players before poking the ball into the bottom corner. He fell to his knees and was mobbed by teammates. When he got back up, he made a heart shape to the Tunisian fans behind the goal and then limped off, appearing to hurt himself as he fell when scoring his 25th international goal and his third at World Cups.
France forward Antoine Griezmann thought he had evened the score in the eighth minute of stoppage time but he was ruled offside following a video review.
New Zealand referee Matthew Conger, a Palmerston North school teacher, has become the subject of a complaint from France over the ruling.