Socceroos beat Japan in nail-biting finish, paving way for World Cup qualification

SBS Australia

2 days ago

The Socceroos are seeking their first win over Japan in 16 years. Source: AAP / Richard Wainright The Socceroos have defeated Japan in a nail-biting finish, almost certainly securing their place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, barring a mathematical anomaly. While Japan dominated Australia for most of the match, the national team won against the Samurai Blue 1-0 after striker Aziz Behich scored the winning goal for the Socceroos in the 90th minute. "In a football sense, this is the best week [of my life] ... I think we more than deserve going to the World Cup again," Behich said after the match. This was Australia's first win against Japan in 16 years. Japan, which had already qualified, did not have its biggest names in the starting squad. Australia's place in the 2026 World Cup in the US, Canada, and Mexico is now all but secured following tonight's win against Japan, though it's not yet mathematically guaranteed. Final confirmation will depend on the result of Saudi Arabia's match against Bahrain on Friday morning, and Australia's clash with Saudi Arabia next week. Socceroos coach Tony Popovic's starting 11 for the match was: Ryan, Miller, Circati, Degenek, Burgess, Behich, O'Neil, Teague, Metcalfe, Boyle and Borrello. Japan started with: Tani, Machida, Watanabe, Sekine, Hirakawa, Fujita, Sano, Tawaratsumida, Suzuki, Kamada and Ohashi. Some of their biggest players, like Kaoru Mitoma and Daizen Maeda, sat the game out.
In the first 45 minutes, Japan was superior, holding over 70 per cent possession of the ball and taking seven unsuccessful shots at goal. The Socceroos, by contrast, had just two shots at goal. While Japan entered Australia's final third 45 times, Australia did the same only 12 times. The first minutes of the match began with Japan in possession of the ball, with Tawaratsumida creating some chances from the Socceroos' right flank, while the Australian national team looked for opportunities on counterattacks. Japan's biggest chance came in the 27th minute, when Suzuki nearly scored the first goal of the match.
Australia had their first real chance in the 32nd minute, when Ryan Teague's header from their first corner narrowly missed the post. In the 36th minute, Hirakawa unleashed a powerful shot from outside the box, which put Australia on notice.
The second half started with two substitutions for the Australian national team and one substitution for the team in blue. For the Socceroos, McGree and Yazbeck replaced Teague and Boyle in midfield, while Japan brought Seko in place of their other defender, Machida.
The substitutes didn't change the flow of the game in the first 15 minutes of the second half, with Japan maintaining control over the ball and continuing to apply pressure. In the last thirty minutes of the second half, Japan's star player Takefusa Kubo, alongside Keito Nakamura, came into the match, increasing the pressure on Australia's defence. Japan came close to possibly securing victory in the 80th minute of the game, when Kubo took a shot that only missed Ryan's goal by a narrow margin. At the same time, Australia subbed in ex-Man City player and Melbourne Victory's star Daniel Arzani in minute 80, with the hope of changing the game. But it was Behich's curved ball in minute 90 that brought the almost 60,000 person strong crowd to its feet.
Following their win, the Socceroos will remain second in their group with 16 points, while Japan will remain at the top with 20 points. Only the top two teams of the group will secure a spot for the 2026 World Cup directly. Saudi Arabia is currently third, with 10 points and a goal difference of eight less than Australia, having a match in hand. They will be playing against Bahrain at 2 am AEST on Friday. If Saudi Arabia loses or draws against Bahrain, the Australian national team's spot in next year's World Cup will be guaranteed. The only way that Australia's World Cup dream will be endangered is if Saudi Arabia wins both of their remaining matches by significant margins. The previous match of the group stage between Australia and Saudi Arabia in the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium ended with a 0-0 result. Since 2011, Australia has played Saudi Arabia eight times, losing four of the matches and winning only one. If Australia finishes third or fourth in their group, they will need to qualify through a round-robin tournament in October. Six nations will be divided into two groups of three, with each team playing against the others in their group once. The winners of both groups will qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Socceroos will go head to head with Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, June 11, at 4:15 am AEST in the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah. FIFA World Cup Football Australia Perth
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