Australia to stick to the plan for second 'final' - Mooy

KAZAN, Russia (Reuters) - Bert van Marwijk's gameplan kept Australia in a contest with France for 80 minutes of their World Cup opener and midfielder Aaron Mooy does not expect much to change against Denmark on Thursday.

Australia to stick to the plan for second 'final' - Mooy

(Reuters)





An Aziz Behich own goal decided the Group C opener at the weekend, leaving the Socceroos without a point as they look to get to the knockout stages at a World Cup for the second time in five attempts.

The Danes getting off to a winning start against Peru makes the match in Samara vitally important to Australian hopes but playmaker Mooy does expect Dutchman van Marwijk to tinker much with their tactics.

"We have a gameplan, which we've played since Bert and the coaching staff took over and not a lot is changing, we just try and do our jobs better," he told reporters at the team's training camp on Tuesday.

"The gameplan worked well against France, maybe we need to attack a bit more but that depends how the game's going. We need to win so hopefully we'll get a few chances and put them away."

While Mooy will be pulling the strings in the Australia midfield, Denmark will be looking for a more influential performance from Christian Eriksen after an underwhelming display from him against Peru.

Mooy said the Socceroos would be doing their best to starve the attacking midfielder of ball.

"He's an excellent player, he's had a great season and he's probably Denmark's most dangerous player," he added.

"We have to keep a close eye on him, and try and stop the supply to him. We have to do it altogether as a team."

The quietly spoken Mooy, who has also another good season in England with Huddersfield Town, said the potentially decisive nature of the game would not add any extra pressure.

"We really need to get a result and we'll definitely be trying to win the match just like we did against France," he said.

"Every game at the World Cup is like a final."





(Editing by Pritha Sarkar)


Share
2 min read

Published

Source: Reuters


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world