Socceroos chase World Cup spot with win
Football: The Socceroos are very confident they can gain automatic qualification for the World Cup with a win against Japan.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
West Australian
28 minutes ago
- West Australian
Socceroos coach Tony Popovic has immediately delivered results - but nature of Japan performance may concern
As Aziz Behich's curled effort swung into the net and the Optus Stadium crowd erupted into a frenzy of noise and mess of limbs, Tony Popovic sunk to his knees and let his emotions take over. Normally the cool, calm and composed type, all Popovic could do was release a primal scream of joy into the atmosphere before he was mobbed by his assistants. History is written by the victors and certainly, the Socceroos will be telling the tale of their resolute defensive effort in the face of Japan's dominance and Behich's dramatic winner for years to come. In itself, both the performance and the result will give credence to both Popovic's critics and his supporters. The fact of the matter is, in seven games under Popovic since Graham Arnold's shock departure following a solitary point gleaned from their two opening World Cup qualifying games, the Socceroos are yet to taste defeat. Across those seven games, Australia have scored 14 and conceded just four goals. For the most part, they have looked stable and in control of games. The Socceroos needed fortitude in the wake of Arnold's leave and Popovic has provided that, tinkering with the formation while raising standards. Players have spoken of the newfound intensity which has greeted national team camps and have publicly embraced his team-first defensive ethos. He has taken Australia to the brink of a sixth World Cup in a row, and potentially their first direct qualification since the 2014 tournament — a feat which seemed a long way off after the Socceroos' depressing start to the campaign. 'Popaball', as it is known, relies on soaking up pressure, controlling your opponents movement through your own defensive shape and limiting your opponents' sights on goal. To quote Ron Weasley: 'you're going to suffer, but you're going to be happy about it'. And it must be said, the Socceroos achieved most of the above against Japan on Thursday night. Pre-game, Popovic spoke of a desire for the Socceroos to improve upon their 1-1 draw with Japan in just his second game in charge. In Perth, Australia enjoyed four per cent less possession and had 14 less passes in their own half than they did in Saitima. Worryingly, the home game came against a second-string Japanese side and off the back of a 10-day training camp in Abu Dhabi. They only surrendered one clear-cut chance inside their own penalty area, a bullet by Takefusa Kubo which went agonisingly close to breaking Australian hearts — but had it gone in, the narrative and result would have flipped. The Socceroos did not control the game in possession, their midfield ran ragged and any attempts to build-up from defence were destroyed by Japan's press and ended in long balls to no one. Popovic deserves credit for being the steadying hand Australia needs and instilling a team-wide defensive mindset. The challenge now will be to evolve the Socceroos' functionality and effectiveness in attack.
News.com.au
32 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Supercars, Perth: Matt Payne fastest through practice sessions
Just like the Socceroos did the night before, rising New Zealand star Matt Payne timed his run to perfection to jump to the top of the timesheets during Friday's two wild practice sessions for the Perth Super 440. Following on from his blistering finish to win the last Supercars race in Tasmania four weeks ago, the 22-year-old Kiwi uncorked another sizzling lap in his Penrite Ford Mustang to leapfrog his rivals and send them a clear message that he means business. 'Credit to the guys. They did an awesome job,' Payne said. 'I know we've got the best crew here. 'We're working our (backsides) off to get this thing fast and thankfully we did. It's pretty cool. Press on for tomorrow.' After finishing 16th in the first practice session then getting caught in traffic behind David Reynolds approaching the end of the second hitout, Payne calmly resettled himself for one more shot just before the chequered flag was waved. Driving flat to the boards, Payne nailed it and lapped the Wanneroo Raceway in 54.3903 seconds, setting the stage for an epic finish to a mammoth week in Perth after the Socceroos' thrilling win over Japan that all but secured Australia's place at next year's FIFA World Cup. 'It's just part of our session, I knew we were going to get a little bit baulked by Reynolds there, so I just backed out of it and went again,' Payne said. 'Everyone stayed cool, and it's a really, really awesome turnaround from practice 1, which wasn't ideal for us rolling out of the truck the way we did. 'It's a real credit to the guys to get it tuned up and get it to the front for practice 2.' Anton De Pasquale was second quickest, just 0.0856s behind Payne, with Thomas Randle third, just ahead of current championship leader Broc Feeney, who released a video of himself behind the wheel of his Chevrolet Camaro competing in a tug-o-war with NRL and NRLW stars from the Bulldogs. With qualifying set to take place on Saturday then three races split over the weekend, no-one is taking anything for granted with the top seven cars all from different teams. Sitting third on the championship standings after winning three of the last six races, Payne was feeling upbeat about his rapid turnaround but was also wary about reading too much into the results. 'It's tough. It's only two 30 minute practice sessions so you got to squeeze everything you can in,' he said. 'We did a really good job of just going through what we did in practice 1. We tried a lot so yeah credit to the guys, they did an awesome job.' The second session was red flagged when Lochie Dalton spun into the sand and almost rolled his car, while a lot of drivers complained about blistering on their super soft tyres on a track known for wearing out the rubber. Another Kiwi, Jaxon Evans set the pace in the opening practice session after benefiting from a rule giving new drivers an extra set of tyres. 'It's really nice to finish the session on top, the first time I've done it in Supercars,' he said. 'Being my second year in the championship, I get an extra set of tyres, so we obviously put them to good use. 'It's just nice to know that the car is fast and I hope we can continue that way for the rest of the weekend.'
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Jai Opetaia and Justis Huni set for twin world title fights on Sunday
Sunday, June 8 is shaping up to be a potentially seismic day for Australian boxing. In the morning (AEDT), unbeaten heavyweight Justis Huni will look to make the most of the surprise launch pad and set himself up for some of the biggest nights in sport. Then, half a world away on the Gold Coast that evening, Jai Opetaia will defend his IBF and The Ring cruiserweight world titles. Huni will face Briton Fabio Wardley in what is expected to be a boiler-house atmosphere at Ipswich Town's Portman Road stadium for the interim WBA heavyweight championship. The winner of that fight puts himself closer to the heavyweight championship of the world. And although Huni is a big underdog amongst the bookies, some are backing the Aussie with the impressive amateur pedigree to step up and shock the man whose pre-professional experience is limited to four white collar boxing bouts. Like the 27 challengers who have come before him, Opetaia (27-0, 21KOs) is intent on swatting away the threat of Italian Claudio Squeo (17-0, 9KOs) as he plans to derail the Australian boxing superstar's undisputed world title dream. Despite entering the bout as a 15-1 underdog, the Italian is promising to prove the doubters wrong and pull off one of boxing's great boilovers at the Gold Coast Exhibition Centre. "This is a big opportunity to shock the world, the people writing you off," Squeo said through a translator on Friday. But with a multi-million-dollar payday and a place in Australian boxing immortality also at stake, Opetaia is having none of it. With much bigger fish to fry, the 29-year-old is vowing to win whatever way is required, knowing a loss is non negotiable ahead of a succession of potential super fights that could propel him to Hall of Fame status. "I believe I can beat him in the pocket, I believe I can outbox him. We are just going to fight smart," Opetaia said. "We've got to choose our battles and just wait til Sunday." The fight comes almost three years after a then-unfancied Opetaia defied two jaw fractures to beat champion Mairis Briedis and claim his two straps. Opetaia has fought five times since, with the Briedis rematch last year his only genuine challenge, and is yet to land a shot at the other three belts in his division. Badou Jack owns the WBC belt but it is WBO and WBA champion Gilberto Ramírez who is firmly in Opetaia's sights. The Mexican two-weight champion is due for a mandatory defence later this month and insistent he will face Opetaia next. Should both win, as most predict they will, Opetaia will be in line to finally secure a unification blockbuster against Ramírez later this year. An Opetaia-Ramírez mega-money four-belt stoush would sit nicely on the undercard to September's historic duel between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford in Las Vegas. Little wonder why Opetaia's priority is to see off Squeo however he needs to, saying he's even ready to slug it out for 12 full rounds if that is what it takes. "Once that bell goes every time, man, it's on and I'm ready for 12 rounds of war," he said. "I've got no doubt he's going to come forward. That's got to be his game plan. "We've just got to be patient. We just stick to our game plan, do what we do and we put on clinics. "So on Sunday, I love to put on a clinic. We always do the goods, we always put on good performances. "We are some hard-noses. We've been in the trenches the last couple of weeks. I'm riding in the wave. You know how I train to stop people." ABC/AAP
