The Socceroos made a start with their start against Tunisia. After some frenetic moments, they settled into the game well. And, in the 23rd minute, a moment of magic as they played out from the back.
After getting the ball from Riley McGree, Craig Goodwin probably made the wrong move into trying to put the ball into the box rather than pass to overlapping fullback Aziz Behich. The pass deflected off a Tunisian player, but Mitchell Duke got his head to it.
His shot astonishingly accurate for a glancing header...and it went just inside the right-hand post. One-nil, Australia lead until the of the first half.
From there, there were some anxious moments, particularly in the second half, as Tunisia puished for an equaliser. However, the Australian defence passed the stress test...centre back Harry Souttar leading the way magnificently, and skipper Mat Ryan registered some saves.
The final whistle blowing with the score still one-nil. Australia winning just their third match at a World Cup, at its eighteenth attempt. All of a sudden, the prospect of progressing to the Round of 16 like the famous 2006 team is a not a pipe dream, but a distinct reality.
