100 years after losing to New Zealand in Australia’s first men’s international, the Socceroos claimed revenge – and extended a two-decade Trans-Tasman unbeaten streak – with a 1-0 win in Brisbane.
“Far from satisfied, to be honest. There’s a lot of things we could have done better,” midfielder Jackson Irvine told Channel 10 after the game.
“At the end of the day, a win is a win,” he added.
Awer Mabil’s sensational strike from distance in the 33rd minute was the winner, with the Spanish winger shrugging off the club’s late-minute foul to score his eighth goal in 29 appearances for the Socceroos.
The centenary celebration doubled as the Socceroos’ final home game before the World Cup in Qatar. And while it provided a positive result for Graham Arnold’s men, it provided little assurance that the Socceroos can perform well in their fifth consecutive World Cup appearance.
With Tim Cahill and Guus Hiddink among the 25,392 in the stands – the Socceroos’ star player and coach of their 2006 World Cup drought appearance – the performance they witnessed was largely underwhelming.
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Fans were hoping to see 18-year-old rising star Garang Kuol make his Socceroos debut, with Graham Arnold naming seven uncapped stars in an extended squad. But Arnold opted to name a full-strength squad full of veterans from the World Cup qualifying campaign, before promising a much-changed side would play in Sunday’s return in Auckland.
Despite the fortitude, the Socceroos were wayward, with few positive moments marred by a lack of cohesion with the ball and defensive frailties without it. Against a more dangerous attacking team – New Zealand had not scored in their last three matches before this game – these frailties could have been exposed.
Australia’s attack also struggled to create strong scoring chances, with Jackson Irvine missing a rare golden opportunity early in the set and substitute Mat Leckie hitting the post in the 85th minute when his counter-attacking chance d ‘one against one was well saved.
Despite the difference in FIFA rankings (Australia 39th compared to NZ 103rd) and the fact NZ did not qualify for the World Cup, the match was a balanced affair. Both sides had 12 shots, with NZ landing four on target to Australia’s three. The visitors had more passes with greater accuracy, and should have opened the scoring with a couple of good chances in the opening minutes.
“We could have scored a bit more and we need to be more ruthless,” coach Graham Arnold said after the game.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
The Socceroos were dealt an early scare in just the second minute when centre-back Trent Sainsbury played a poor ball out of defence, leading Tim Payne to fire home from distance, but just past Australian goalkeeper Mat Ryan .
New Zealand should have opened the scoring in the 10th minute after a long ball from goalkeeper Oli Sail caught the Australian defence. Australian centre-back Milos Degenek missed his header to clear the danger, with the ball falling to Andre De Jong, who beat Sainsbury to go one-on-one with Mat Ryan. But De Jong’s shot went just wide of the right.
Australia began to grow into the game offensively, and Jackson Irvine missed a golden opportunity when an Aaron Mooy corner fell to his feet in the 17th minute. But his attempt to place the ball into the bottom corner he dribbled out.
Corners began to increase from both sides, and Australia looked to have opened the scoring in the 28th minute when Jackson Irvine headed home a Mooy corner, with Trent Sainsbury deflecting it over the line from close range. But Irvine was left fuming after the referee had already blown his whistle, claiming Irvine had dragged defender Nando Pijnaker, although replays appeared to show Pijnaker simply went down.
But his frustration was short-lived. In the 33rd minute, Jackson Irvine stole the ball in the NZ half and quickly fed left winger Awer Mabil, who stepped past a defender and fired a long-range shot into the bottom corner.
Having fired wide from similar range earlier in the game, he made no mistake this time, scoring his eighth goal in 29 appearances for the Socceroos.
The Socceroos settled into the game after the goal, and came out on top in the second stanza after a lackluster first half.
But New Zealand continued to threaten at times, with Joe Bell threatening Mat Ryan in the 57th minute with a long-range shot that fortunately hit straight at the veteran gloveman.
Ryan was forced out of his box and cleared a long ball two minutes later, beating a huge shot from NZ Premier League’s hulking center forward Chris Wood in the process.
After an hour, Riley McGree replaced Ajdin Hrustic in midfield, with Adam Taggart, who ran hard but struggled to get involved, for fellow striker Jamie Maclaren.
McGree almost scored immediately with an effort from outside the box that went over the crossbar.
Ten minutes into the substitutions, goalscorer Awer Mabil was taken off by winger Mat Leckie, while Fran Karacic was replaced by Nathaniel Atkinson.
The chances continued to flow, with Martin Boyle attempting an audacious volley from outside the area, but once again he sent his shot wide of the mark.
Atkinson made a crucial clearance with ten minutes remaining when New Zealand winger Ben Waine shot down the right flank and struck a dangerous cross, with Atkinson sliding desperately to clear the ball at the back post.
But after a New Zealand free-kick hit the wall, Australia broke quickly in the 85th minute. Martin Boyle and Mat Leckie raced through on goal, with Boyle playing in his forward partner one-on-one. Leckie’s shot looked destined to stay in the bottom corner, but Kiwi goalkeeper Oli Sail got the slightest touch on the ball and deflected it against the outside of the post.
In the closing minutes, Connor Metcalfe replaced Irvine, while Aziz Behich was replaced by youngster Joel King.
The game began to open up as both teams tired, and the Socceroos carved out another decent chance in injury time on the counter-attack when Martin Boyle picked up the ball in the opposition half. He played a poor ball in behind Riley McGree, with the substitute feeding Maclaren, who shot wide from outside the box.
It was one of the final acts of the match as Australia bid farewell to their country with a win.
TEAM NEWS
Arnold has named a very strong starting eleven for the clash, as an indication of his thoughts on the side that will face France, Denmark and Tunisia in the World Cup group stage.
Captain Mat Ryan is in goal.
Veterans Milos Degenek and Trent Sainsbury start at the heart of the defence, with Fran Karacic and Aziz Behich on either side.
In midfield, Aaron Mooy, Jackson Irvine and Ajdin Hrustic look set to form a three-man triangle.
Up front, Adam Taggart will lead the line, with Awer Mabil on the left and Martin Boyle on the right.
Amazingly, it is Taggart’s first appearance for the Socceroos on home soil, with his previous 16 appearances away from home. It is also his first appearance for the green and gold since October 2021.