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The campaign fail
Nawaf Shukralla’s full-time whistle did not signal the end of Australia’s World Cup hopes on Thursday night, and yet, one couldn’t help but feel engulfed by the immediate sense of failure.
It was supposed to be different.
It was meant to be a performance reminiscent of earlier qualifiers, complete with end product and imagination, but only this time, buoyed by the noise of more than 40,000 fans.
Instead, it was the final stop on a campaign trail tarnished by two defeats to Japan, a national team the Socceroos have failed to overcome since 2009.
If a late 2-1 loss in Saitama slowed their pursuit of automatic qualification last October, yesterday’s 2-0 defeat brought things to a complete standstill on home soil.
Graham Arnold’s side slid from first to third off the back of both defeats in Group B and, to make matters worse, failed to win more than one match from the four that took place in between.
It’s the kind of form that’s left many questioning the 58-year-old’s leadership heading into the play-offs, and though the Socceroos still remain in contention to qualify, it appears any faith the few forgiving fans had left has finally run out.
Play-off bound
For the second consecutive World Cup qualifying campaign, the Socceroos are play-off bound.
Nothing less than three points would have prolonged their realistic pursuit of automatic qualification on Thursday night, but after 90 nerve-wracking minutes in Homebush, Australia were left with none.
Kaoru Mitoma’s damaging double earned Japan a seventh successive trip to the World Cup at their rivals’ expense, who must now wander the perilous path down to Doha in June.
One final group game against the already-qualified Saudi Arabia is all that separates the Socceroos from a do-or-die match against the third-placed nation in Group A, with the winner then facing South America’s fifth-placed side for the final ticket.
It’s a road not unfamiliar to Australian fans but one that will almost certainly bring back memories of 2005 - the last time CONMEBOL opposition were drawn to compete for a place in the World Cup.
Unlike previous campaigns, however, this year’s intercontinental format has moved away from two-legged ties and will instead feature a one-off match at a neutral venue in Doha in mid-June.
As it stands, Peru would represent CONMEBOL in the playoffs, though that could change during the final game as Colombia and Chile continue to fight for places.
It’s a decision that might suit Graham Arnold’s side given the quality they’re likely to face, but their first order of business will be overcoming the AFC’s other representative - likely to be either UAE or Iraq - in Doha on June 7.
Meanwhile, the 2022 FIFA World Cup draw will take place on April 2 in Doha - which you can WATCH LIVE, FREE and in HD on SBS.
‘We are not good enough’
Archie Thompson echoed the sentiments of nearly every Australian on Thursday night after the former Socceroos striker launched a scathing assessment of the current national team.
Thompson cut a frustrated figure alongside Mark Milligan and Luke Wilkshire following Australia’s 2-0 defeat to Japan, with the latter acknowledging “we got schooled” in every facet of the game.
It was the first in a barrage of brutal truths aimed at Graham Arnold’s crop of players, and the pair left no stone unturned when discussing the passion and personnel required to represent the nation.
“I just don’t think the players in this squad are good enough and (neither is) the mentality,” Thompson said during Channel 10’s post-game coverage.
“If you’re not good enough, you still match it with the effort and mentality … I think we’ve gone away from that.”
“What’s their priority?” Wilkshire added. “Is it to miss international games and go get married?
“Is it because you want to go on a holiday? Are you going to pick and choose when you come to the national team?
“No, it’s not like that. It needs to be made a priority.”
What if?
Football is a game of fine margins, where the difference between winning and losing can almost come down to a single moment.
For the Socceroos, they had that moment against Japan; one that, on another night, might just have postponed the criticism they’ve since received from their 2-0 defeat at Stadium Australia.
It occurred midway through the first half when the ball was bundled into the back of the net from a Martin Boyle corner to the far post.
On that occasion, Trent Sainsbury rose to meet the ball but made minimal contact with Shuichi Gonda, the Japanese goalkeeper who misjudged his own attempt to punch it clear.
Sainsbury was quickly adjudged to have fouled Gonda from his leap, and the VAR soon stood by Nawaf Shukralla’s interpretation, one that left every Australian wondering what might have been.
The controversy caused by Shukralla’s decision was not lost on fans and pundits alike as the score remain locked at 0-0, and it might just have cost the Socceroos a direct ticket to Qatar.
Put to the sword
Hajime Moriyasu promised the public an “aggressive” Japan would take on Australia for their crunch World Cup qualifier, and the 53-year-old wasn’t wrong in the slightest.
The Samurai Blue began the better of the two sides at Stadium Australia, needing only 40 seconds to assert their authority through Takumi Minamino.
An early attempt on goal was the first of seven the Liverpool winger fashioned in the first half – two of which came cannoning off the crossbar, much to Australia’s relief.
It was a matter of when – not if – for Moriyasu’s men, and, as Graham Arnold implored his side forward in search of an unlikely winner, substitute Kaoru Mitoma soon found his own.
The 24-year-old’s pace proved too much for his flagging opposition, and he didn’t have to wait long for his second, gliding past defenders into the box before squeezing his ensuing effort underneath Mat Ryan.
It was the perfect performance away from home and just the one Moriyasu had predicted, with Japan now guaranteed an impressive seventh successive World Cup appearance in November.
