Socceroos vs Japan five quick hits: Behich puts Australia closer to World Cup qualification

Aziz Behich's strike in the 1-0 victory over Japan has all but ensured the Socceroos' qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Here are the five quick hits from Thursday night's World Cup qualifier in Perth.
With a World Cup berth already secured, Japan manager Hajime Moriyasu selected a heavily rotated squad for his side's final two qualifiers.
But you wouldn't have known it early on in Perth.
The Samurai Blue dominated the ball and territory as the Socceroos sat back and allowed the visitors to dictate proceedings.
A packed Perth Stadium was anxiously hushed as Japan circulated and recycled the ball with ease.
They probed, prodded and poked, but were unable to create a clear-cut chance until Yuito Suzuki danced through the Australian defence and curled his shot just wide of Matt Ryan's post midway through the opening period.
The Japanese dominance didn't end at half-time.
But — just as in the first 45 minutes — a deep Australian block stood firm after the break.
As expected, Socceroos boss Tony Popovic named a starting XI much more likely to keep a clean sheet than pose significant danger to Japan's defence.
In Jackson Irvine's absence, Popovic opted for two holders in the centre of the park in the form of Aiden O'Neil and Ryan Teague.
They were tasked with providing support to a pretty rigid defensive five.
Wing-backs Behich and Lewis Miller were much more conservative than we have come to expect, while Australia's three central defenders — among them returning youngster Alessandro Circati — sat deep.
In attack, Popovic resisted the temptation to name any of his resident livewires from the start.
A front three of Brandon Borrello, Martin Boyle and Connor Metcalfe pressed and harried but created precious little in a dour first half.
As the match progressed, a sprinkling of substitutions threatened to add some life to Australia's attack.
But that threat wasn't realised until late on.
When the ball was on the ground, the Socceroos couldn't get anywhere near their Japanese opponents.
However, it looked like they stood a better chance when it was flying through the air.
The Socceroos won a few inconsequential headers from corners in the first period, but were unable to really trouble the Japanese goal.
After the break, a looping Cameron Burgess header from a gigantic Miller throw-in and a half-chance from a Japanese lapse in concentration were the closest Australia came until Behich provided the match-winner.
It was the most unlikely of moments from the most unlikely of players.
As the match headed towards stoppage time, minds around Australia were turning to what was shaping to be a nail-biting, one-off title fight of a match against Saudi Arabia on Wednesday morning AEST.
Then, almost unbelievably, the Socceroos found themselves in Japanese territory.
And for the first time for what felt like all match, they had numbers.
Jason Geria, on the field as a second-half substitute at right wing-back, drilled the ball into the feet of Riley McGree on the edge of the box.
McGree, only just back from injury and on as a half-time substitute, turned adroitly, tapped it forward and made his way to the touchline.
At one stage, it looked like he had overrun it, but he found his cut-back in the nick of time.
The ball fizzed across the six yard box, evading all the likely suspects in green and gold.
And there he was, striding assuredly towards the ball.
Time stood still as Behich twisted, turned and got off a tracer bullet of a weak-footed shot.
It was the left wing-back's first international goal in 13 years.
And somehow, barring an almost unthinkable calamity against Saudi Arabia on Wednesday morning, the Socceroos will contest the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
It mightn't have been as cathartic a moment as John Aloisi's spot kick in 2005, or quite as clutch as Andrew Redmayne's 'Wiggles' impersonation against Peru in 2022, but it might be even more remarkable.
When Popovic took over as coach in September 2024, Australia was out of sorts.
Sitting fifth in the group and fresh from the humiliation of a 1-0 loss to Bahrain and a 0-0 draw with Indonesia, automatic World Cup qualification looked like a pipe dream.
Nine months later, it's almost a reality.