Oscar Piastri's dream run continues with Imola pole
In a chaotic qualifying at Imola, Oscar Piastri remained the model of calm and serenity to roar to pole position again at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in his ever more convincing push to become world F1 champion.
Australia's championship leader was quickest in his McLaren on Saturday, leading home Red Bull's champion Max Verstappen, while George Russell qualified third for Mercedes with Piastri's disappointed teammate Lando Norris fourth.
Piastri's calm excellence came at the end of a session which had to be twice red-flagged after Red Bull's Yuki Tsunoda and then Alpine's Franco Colapinto crashed in the first phase.
The Melburnian star then had to fight his way through traffic on his decisive lap on Q3, admitting he "thought it was going to unravel" when he approached slower cars towards the end.
But he still ended up 0.034sec quicker than Verstappen in one minute 14.670 seconds, to earn his third pole of the season, putting him in a great spot to earn a fifth win in seven races -- and a fourth in a row -- on Sunday at the storied circuit to stretch his 16-point lead over the disappointed Norris.
Ferrari suffered a new low in front of their home fans, with Charles Leclerc qualifying 11th and Lewis Hamilton 12th in the seven-times world champion's first race in Italy for the Maranello-based team.
Tsunoda and Colapinto, the latter returning to the grid in place of dropped Australian Jack Doohan, had to be taken to the medical centre for checks after their crashes.
Tsunoda's was particularly alarming, with the Red Bull driver's crash leading to a 15-minute delay for track repairs.
Colapinto went onto the grass approaching Tamburello and lost control, spinning and hitting the barrier head on.
With agencies
In a chaotic qualifying at Imola, Oscar Piastri remained the model of calm and serenity to roar to pole position again at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in his ever more convincing push to become world F1 champion.
Australia's championship leader was quickest in his McLaren on Saturday, leading home Red Bull's champion Max Verstappen, while George Russell qualified third for Mercedes with Piastri's disappointed teammate Lando Norris fourth.
Piastri's calm excellence came at the end of a session which had to be twice red-flagged after Red Bull's Yuki Tsunoda and then Alpine's Franco Colapinto crashed in the first phase.
The Melburnian star then had to fight his way through traffic on his decisive lap on Q3, admitting he "thought it was going to unravel" when he approached slower cars towards the end.
But he still ended up 0.034sec quicker than Verstappen in one minute 14.670 seconds, to earn his third pole of the season, putting him in a great spot to earn a fifth win in seven races -- and a fourth in a row -- on Sunday at the storied circuit to stretch his 16-point lead over the disappointed Norris.
Ferrari suffered a new low in front of their home fans, with Charles Leclerc qualifying 11th and Lewis Hamilton 12th in the seven-times world champion's first race in Italy for the Maranello-based team.
Tsunoda and Colapinto, the latter returning to the grid in place of dropped Australian Jack Doohan, had to be taken to the medical centre for checks after their crashes.
Tsunoda's was particularly alarming, with the Red Bull driver's crash leading to a 15-minute delay for track repairs.
Colapinto went onto the grass approaching Tamburello and lost control, spinning and hitting the barrier head on.
With agencies
In a chaotic qualifying at Imola, Oscar Piastri remained the model of calm and serenity to roar to pole position again at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in his ever more convincing push to become world F1 champion.
Australia's championship leader was quickest in his McLaren on Saturday, leading home Red Bull's champion Max Verstappen, while George Russell qualified third for Mercedes with Piastri's disappointed teammate Lando Norris fourth.
Piastri's calm excellence came at the end of a session which had to be twice red-flagged after Red Bull's Yuki Tsunoda and then Alpine's Franco Colapinto crashed in the first phase.
The Melburnian star then had to fight his way through traffic on his decisive lap on Q3, admitting he "thought it was going to unravel" when he approached slower cars towards the end.
But he still ended up 0.034sec quicker than Verstappen in one minute 14.670 seconds, to earn his third pole of the season, putting him in a great spot to earn a fifth win in seven races -- and a fourth in a row -- on Sunday at the storied circuit to stretch his 16-point lead over the disappointed Norris.
Ferrari suffered a new low in front of their home fans, with Charles Leclerc qualifying 11th and Lewis Hamilton 12th in the seven-times world champion's first race in Italy for the Maranello-based team.
Tsunoda and Colapinto, the latter returning to the grid in place of dropped Australian Jack Doohan, had to be taken to the medical centre for checks after their crashes.
Tsunoda's was particularly alarming, with the Red Bull driver's crash leading to a 15-minute delay for track repairs.
Colapinto went onto the grass approaching Tamburello and lost control, spinning and hitting the barrier head on.
With agencies
In a chaotic qualifying at Imola, Oscar Piastri remained the model of calm and serenity to roar to pole position again at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in his ever more convincing push to become world F1 champion.
Australia's championship leader was quickest in his McLaren on Saturday, leading home Red Bull's champion Max Verstappen, while George Russell qualified third for Mercedes with Piastri's disappointed teammate Lando Norris fourth.
Piastri's calm excellence came at the end of a session which had to be twice red-flagged after Red Bull's Yuki Tsunoda and then Alpine's Franco Colapinto crashed in the first phase.
The Melburnian star then had to fight his way through traffic on his decisive lap on Q3, admitting he "thought it was going to unravel" when he approached slower cars towards the end.
But he still ended up 0.034sec quicker than Verstappen in one minute 14.670 seconds, to earn his third pole of the season, putting him in a great spot to earn a fifth win in seven races -- and a fourth in a row -- on Sunday at the storied circuit to stretch his 16-point lead over the disappointed Norris.
Ferrari suffered a new low in front of their home fans, with Charles Leclerc qualifying 11th and Lewis Hamilton 12th in the seven-times world champion's first race in Italy for the Maranello-based team.
Tsunoda and Colapinto, the latter returning to the grid in place of dropped Australian Jack Doohan, had to be taken to the medical centre for checks after their crashes.
Tsunoda's was particularly alarming, with the Red Bull driver's crash leading to a 15-minute delay for track repairs.
Colapinto went onto the grass approaching Tamburello and lost control, spinning and hitting the barrier head on.
With agencies
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Perth Now
12 minutes ago
- Perth Now
Let fans have their flares, says Socceroos veteran
Socceroos veteran Milos Degenek wants to see flares back at Australian soccer games, saying travelling teams now have it too easy due to fans being over policed. More than 50,000 fans are expected to turn out on Thursday night when Australia host Japan in a crunch World Cup qualifier at Optus Stadium in Perth. The match will be played less than a week after riot police were called in to control unruly fans walking to the game in the lead up to Melbourne City's A-League Men grand-final win over arch-rivals Melbourne Victory. About 20 flares were lit in the crowd, with one police officer taken to hospital after allegedly being kicked. Football Australia strictly bans flares and other pyrotechnics in and around stadiums, with perpetrators facing hefty bans. The Socceroos have faced plenty of hostile crowds over the years in various World Cup qualifying campaigns, but Degenek feels Australian fans aren't given the scope to return the favour due to restrictions being placed on them. "It would be a lot nicer if when countries come to Australia to play against us, the crowd was a little bit more hostile" Degenek said in Perth on Tuesday. "Put it this way. I played in Serbia. I played at Red Star Belgrade, in the Eternal Derby where you play Partizan (Belgrade), where flares are thrown onto a pitch, where the city gets shut down on game day. "But in the end, that's normal for me. There's no fear. "There's a code in the footballing world: Fans are never going to attack footballers. "I saw the pictures from the (A-League) grand final - a lot of police. "For me, I just think it's nonsense that you have people in riot gear for guys who are going to a game. "I don't think we're going to a war. We're just going to a football game. You're making it out to be a lot worse than what it is." Degenek believes by tightening down on people's rights with a huge police presence, it leads to more problems. "That has a counter effect, in my opinion," he said. "Because you are paying so much attention to those things - fans or flares and this and that - in the end, you're going to force an issue, because you're narrowing down corridors where they can walk. "You're pushing them to a side. Someone's going to step on someone, someone's going to push and then that escalates really quick, rather than give them freedom to move and getting them safely to a stadium. "Once they're in, you close them off. No one's going to walk out onto the pitch, no one's going to walk out to the other side and fight with the other fans, because by the time you get from A to B, it's a 150m walk." Degenek believes more people would attend games if they were policed less. "You need to give the fans the freedom, the joy," he said. "Because the more you do that (police them), the less people are going to go to the stadium. "In Europe, you have less police, and that's where you have more fans at the games. "And for us as footballers, it's a lot better when you see flares in the stadium, when you see fans screaming, chanting, flares going off, because that kind of gets the adrenaline going and motivates you even more." The Socceroos (13 points) sit second in their qualifying group. A win over Japan (20 points) would almost certainly lock in their place for the 2026 World Cup.
The Advertiser
13 minutes ago
- The Advertiser
Paying more at the bowser: discover where petrol prices have spiked the most
Australians are paying more for petrol and drivers in regional areas are often worse off - some forking out 14 cents a litre more in early 2025 than they were the year before. In the first three months of 2025 the average price across 190 regional areas was 184.3 cents per litre, an increase of 4.8 cents on the previous quarter. While prices also rose in the country's five largest capital cities, the mean pump price was lower at 182.2 cents, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) quarterly petrol report card found. Canberra residents were the worst off among city-dwellers, paying an average 194.7 cents per litre at the bowser, almost 11 cents higher than at the end of 2024. Prices were up in Hobart (7.6 cents) and Darwin (12.5 cents) as well. The cheapest capital city to buy petrol was Adelaide at an average 175.5 cents a litre. The value of the Australian dollar to the US dollar, which was at a 20-year low in the first three months of 2025, was largely to blame for the price pain, the ACCC said. "The AUD-USD exchange rate ... can have a significant influence on Australia's retail petrol prices because international refined petrol is bought and sold in US dollars in global markets," it said in the report, released on June 3. Petrol prices mostly rose in each of the 190 regional areas the ACCC monitors, but some were harder hit than others. In NSW, drivers in Wagga in the Riverina were slugged 11.7 cents per litre more on average in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the final three months of the previous year. In Bathurst and Coonabarabran the average price jumped 10 cents, while in Goulburn it rose 9.7 cents, and in Orange and Yass it went up 9.6 cents. Price rises were more modest in Victoria where only Leongatha recorded a jump of more than 10 cents a litre. But the biggest single increase in any location across Australia was at Sorell north-east of Hobart in Tasmania, where locals were charged 14.1 cents more a litre on average in March compared to December 2024. Sorell also had the highest average price across the Apple Isle at 194.9 cents a litre. "In some parts of Australia, retail petrol prices can be higher in regional locations than across the five largest cities," the ACCC said. This can be down to a lack of local competition, the tyranny of distance, and lower volumes of fuel sold. In Launceston petrol was also dearer in the three months to April (12.4 cents a litre), Ulverstone (12.1 cents), Queenstown (10.2 cents) and Devonport (9.9 cents). Some Queensland towns suffered more than others, too, including Biloela (up 12.2 cents), Ingham and Warwick (11.9 cents), Moranbah (11.1 cents), Cairns (10 cents), and Mackay (9 cents). In Western Australia, Bunbury, Waroona, Kalgoorlie and Boulder drivers all experienced average petrol price hikes of more than 9 cents a litre in the March quarter. The cheapest petrol of the ACCC-monitored locations could be bought in Victor Harbor in South Australia, a coastal town on the Fleurieu Peninsula south-east of Adelaide. Oberon west of the Blue Mountains had the best average petrol price in NSW (169.4 cents) in the first three months of 2025, while Moe recorded the cheapest in Victoria at 170.7 cents a litre. In Tasmania, Queenstown had the lowest price at 181.1 cents a litre over the quarter and, in Western Australia, Busselton residents were filling up their tanks at 175.6 cents. In NSW it was most expensive to fill up in Parkes in the Central West, where fuel cost 196.1 cents a litre on average. Ararat and Mansfield tied as most expensive location in Victoria, where the price was 189.9 cents. But Queensland was home to the dearest petrol in Australia at an average of 232.5 cents a litre in Weipa on the Cape York peninsula. The latest ACCC Report on the Australian petroleum market found diesel prices also rose over the quarter, while sales of fully electric vehicles fell slightly as hybrid sales increased. Australians are paying more for petrol and drivers in regional areas are often worse off - some forking out 14 cents a litre more in early 2025 than they were the year before. In the first three months of 2025 the average price across 190 regional areas was 184.3 cents per litre, an increase of 4.8 cents on the previous quarter. While prices also rose in the country's five largest capital cities, the mean pump price was lower at 182.2 cents, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) quarterly petrol report card found. Canberra residents were the worst off among city-dwellers, paying an average 194.7 cents per litre at the bowser, almost 11 cents higher than at the end of 2024. Prices were up in Hobart (7.6 cents) and Darwin (12.5 cents) as well. The cheapest capital city to buy petrol was Adelaide at an average 175.5 cents a litre. The value of the Australian dollar to the US dollar, which was at a 20-year low in the first three months of 2025, was largely to blame for the price pain, the ACCC said. "The AUD-USD exchange rate ... can have a significant influence on Australia's retail petrol prices because international refined petrol is bought and sold in US dollars in global markets," it said in the report, released on June 3. Petrol prices mostly rose in each of the 190 regional areas the ACCC monitors, but some were harder hit than others. In NSW, drivers in Wagga in the Riverina were slugged 11.7 cents per litre more on average in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the final three months of the previous year. In Bathurst and Coonabarabran the average price jumped 10 cents, while in Goulburn it rose 9.7 cents, and in Orange and Yass it went up 9.6 cents. Price rises were more modest in Victoria where only Leongatha recorded a jump of more than 10 cents a litre. But the biggest single increase in any location across Australia was at Sorell north-east of Hobart in Tasmania, where locals were charged 14.1 cents more a litre on average in March compared to December 2024. Sorell also had the highest average price across the Apple Isle at 194.9 cents a litre. "In some parts of Australia, retail petrol prices can be higher in regional locations than across the five largest cities," the ACCC said. This can be down to a lack of local competition, the tyranny of distance, and lower volumes of fuel sold. In Launceston petrol was also dearer in the three months to April (12.4 cents a litre), Ulverstone (12.1 cents), Queenstown (10.2 cents) and Devonport (9.9 cents). Some Queensland towns suffered more than others, too, including Biloela (up 12.2 cents), Ingham and Warwick (11.9 cents), Moranbah (11.1 cents), Cairns (10 cents), and Mackay (9 cents). In Western Australia, Bunbury, Waroona, Kalgoorlie and Boulder drivers all experienced average petrol price hikes of more than 9 cents a litre in the March quarter. The cheapest petrol of the ACCC-monitored locations could be bought in Victor Harbor in South Australia, a coastal town on the Fleurieu Peninsula south-east of Adelaide. Oberon west of the Blue Mountains had the best average petrol price in NSW (169.4 cents) in the first three months of 2025, while Moe recorded the cheapest in Victoria at 170.7 cents a litre. In Tasmania, Queenstown had the lowest price at 181.1 cents a litre over the quarter and, in Western Australia, Busselton residents were filling up their tanks at 175.6 cents. In NSW it was most expensive to fill up in Parkes in the Central West, where fuel cost 196.1 cents a litre on average. Ararat and Mansfield tied as most expensive location in Victoria, where the price was 189.9 cents. But Queensland was home to the dearest petrol in Australia at an average of 232.5 cents a litre in Weipa on the Cape York peninsula. The latest ACCC Report on the Australian petroleum market found diesel prices also rose over the quarter, while sales of fully electric vehicles fell slightly as hybrid sales increased. Australians are paying more for petrol and drivers in regional areas are often worse off - some forking out 14 cents a litre more in early 2025 than they were the year before. In the first three months of 2025 the average price across 190 regional areas was 184.3 cents per litre, an increase of 4.8 cents on the previous quarter. While prices also rose in the country's five largest capital cities, the mean pump price was lower at 182.2 cents, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) quarterly petrol report card found. Canberra residents were the worst off among city-dwellers, paying an average 194.7 cents per litre at the bowser, almost 11 cents higher than at the end of 2024. Prices were up in Hobart (7.6 cents) and Darwin (12.5 cents) as well. The cheapest capital city to buy petrol was Adelaide at an average 175.5 cents a litre. The value of the Australian dollar to the US dollar, which was at a 20-year low in the first three months of 2025, was largely to blame for the price pain, the ACCC said. "The AUD-USD exchange rate ... can have a significant influence on Australia's retail petrol prices because international refined petrol is bought and sold in US dollars in global markets," it said in the report, released on June 3. Petrol prices mostly rose in each of the 190 regional areas the ACCC monitors, but some were harder hit than others. In NSW, drivers in Wagga in the Riverina were slugged 11.7 cents per litre more on average in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the final three months of the previous year. In Bathurst and Coonabarabran the average price jumped 10 cents, while in Goulburn it rose 9.7 cents, and in Orange and Yass it went up 9.6 cents. Price rises were more modest in Victoria where only Leongatha recorded a jump of more than 10 cents a litre. But the biggest single increase in any location across Australia was at Sorell north-east of Hobart in Tasmania, where locals were charged 14.1 cents more a litre on average in March compared to December 2024. Sorell also had the highest average price across the Apple Isle at 194.9 cents a litre. "In some parts of Australia, retail petrol prices can be higher in regional locations than across the five largest cities," the ACCC said. This can be down to a lack of local competition, the tyranny of distance, and lower volumes of fuel sold. In Launceston petrol was also dearer in the three months to April (12.4 cents a litre), Ulverstone (12.1 cents), Queenstown (10.2 cents) and Devonport (9.9 cents). Some Queensland towns suffered more than others, too, including Biloela (up 12.2 cents), Ingham and Warwick (11.9 cents), Moranbah (11.1 cents), Cairns (10 cents), and Mackay (9 cents). In Western Australia, Bunbury, Waroona, Kalgoorlie and Boulder drivers all experienced average petrol price hikes of more than 9 cents a litre in the March quarter. The cheapest petrol of the ACCC-monitored locations could be bought in Victor Harbor in South Australia, a coastal town on the Fleurieu Peninsula south-east of Adelaide. Oberon west of the Blue Mountains had the best average petrol price in NSW (169.4 cents) in the first three months of 2025, while Moe recorded the cheapest in Victoria at 170.7 cents a litre. In Tasmania, Queenstown had the lowest price at 181.1 cents a litre over the quarter and, in Western Australia, Busselton residents were filling up their tanks at 175.6 cents. In NSW it was most expensive to fill up in Parkes in the Central West, where fuel cost 196.1 cents a litre on average. Ararat and Mansfield tied as most expensive location in Victoria, where the price was 189.9 cents. But Queensland was home to the dearest petrol in Australia at an average of 232.5 cents a litre in Weipa on the Cape York peninsula. The latest ACCC Report on the Australian petroleum market found diesel prices also rose over the quarter, while sales of fully electric vehicles fell slightly as hybrid sales increased. Australians are paying more for petrol and drivers in regional areas are often worse off - some forking out 14 cents a litre more in early 2025 than they were the year before. In the first three months of 2025 the average price across 190 regional areas was 184.3 cents per litre, an increase of 4.8 cents on the previous quarter. While prices also rose in the country's five largest capital cities, the mean pump price was lower at 182.2 cents, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) quarterly petrol report card found. Canberra residents were the worst off among city-dwellers, paying an average 194.7 cents per litre at the bowser, almost 11 cents higher than at the end of 2024. Prices were up in Hobart (7.6 cents) and Darwin (12.5 cents) as well. The cheapest capital city to buy petrol was Adelaide at an average 175.5 cents a litre. The value of the Australian dollar to the US dollar, which was at a 20-year low in the first three months of 2025, was largely to blame for the price pain, the ACCC said. "The AUD-USD exchange rate ... can have a significant influence on Australia's retail petrol prices because international refined petrol is bought and sold in US dollars in global markets," it said in the report, released on June 3. Petrol prices mostly rose in each of the 190 regional areas the ACCC monitors, but some were harder hit than others. In NSW, drivers in Wagga in the Riverina were slugged 11.7 cents per litre more on average in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the final three months of the previous year. In Bathurst and Coonabarabran the average price jumped 10 cents, while in Goulburn it rose 9.7 cents, and in Orange and Yass it went up 9.6 cents. Price rises were more modest in Victoria where only Leongatha recorded a jump of more than 10 cents a litre. But the biggest single increase in any location across Australia was at Sorell north-east of Hobart in Tasmania, where locals were charged 14.1 cents more a litre on average in March compared to December 2024. Sorell also had the highest average price across the Apple Isle at 194.9 cents a litre. "In some parts of Australia, retail petrol prices can be higher in regional locations than across the five largest cities," the ACCC said. This can be down to a lack of local competition, the tyranny of distance, and lower volumes of fuel sold. In Launceston petrol was also dearer in the three months to April (12.4 cents a litre), Ulverstone (12.1 cents), Queenstown (10.2 cents) and Devonport (9.9 cents). Some Queensland towns suffered more than others, too, including Biloela (up 12.2 cents), Ingham and Warwick (11.9 cents), Moranbah (11.1 cents), Cairns (10 cents), and Mackay (9 cents). In Western Australia, Bunbury, Waroona, Kalgoorlie and Boulder drivers all experienced average petrol price hikes of more than 9 cents a litre in the March quarter. The cheapest petrol of the ACCC-monitored locations could be bought in Victor Harbor in South Australia, a coastal town on the Fleurieu Peninsula south-east of Adelaide. Oberon west of the Blue Mountains had the best average petrol price in NSW (169.4 cents) in the first three months of 2025, while Moe recorded the cheapest in Victoria at 170.7 cents a litre. In Tasmania, Queenstown had the lowest price at 181.1 cents a litre over the quarter and, in Western Australia, Busselton residents were filling up their tanks at 175.6 cents. In NSW it was most expensive to fill up in Parkes in the Central West, where fuel cost 196.1 cents a litre on average. Ararat and Mansfield tied as most expensive location in Victoria, where the price was 189.9 cents. But Queensland was home to the dearest petrol in Australia at an average of 232.5 cents a litre in Weipa on the Cape York peninsula. The latest ACCC Report on the Australian petroleum market found diesel prices also rose over the quarter, while sales of fully electric vehicles fell slightly as hybrid sales increased.
West Australian
15 minutes ago
- West Australian
Let fans have their flares, says Socceroos veteran
Socceroos veteran Milos Degenek wants to see flares back at Australian soccer games, saying travelling teams now have it too easy due to fans being over policed. More than 50,000 fans are expected to turn out on Thursday night when Australia host Japan in a crunch World Cup qualifier at Optus Stadium in Perth. The match will be played less than a week after riot police were called in to control unruly fans walking to the game in the lead up to Melbourne City's A-League Men grand-final win over arch-rivals Melbourne Victory. About 20 flares were lit in the crowd, with one police officer taken to hospital after allegedly being kicked. Football Australia strictly bans flares and other pyrotechnics in and around stadiums, with perpetrators facing hefty bans. The Socceroos have faced plenty of hostile crowds over the years in various World Cup qualifying campaigns, but Degenek feels Australian fans aren't given the scope to return the favour due to restrictions being placed on them. "It would be a lot nicer if when countries come to Australia to play against us, the crowd was a little bit more hostile" Degenek said in Perth on Tuesday. "Put it this way. I played in Serbia. I played at Red Star Belgrade, in the Eternal Derby where you play Partizan (Belgrade), where flares are thrown onto a pitch, where the city gets shut down on game day. "But in the end, that's normal for me. There's no fear. "There's a code in the footballing world: Fans are never going to attack footballers. "I saw the pictures from the (A-League) grand final - a lot of police. "For me, I just think it's nonsense that you have people in riot gear for guys who are going to a game. "I don't think we're going to a war. We're just going to a football game. You're making it out to be a lot worse than what it is." Degenek believes by tightening down on people's rights with a huge police presence, it leads to more problems. "That has a counter effect, in my opinion," he said. "Because you are paying so much attention to those things - fans or flares and this and that - in the end, you're going to force an issue, because you're narrowing down corridors where they can walk. "You're pushing them to a side. Someone's going to step on someone, someone's going to push and then that escalates really quick, rather than give them freedom to move and getting them safely to a stadium. "Once they're in, you close them off. No one's going to walk out onto the pitch, no one's going to walk out to the other side and fight with the other fans, because by the time you get from A to B, it's a 150m walk." Degenek believes more people would attend games if they were policed less. "You need to give the fans the freedom, the joy," he said. "Because the more you do that (police them), the less people are going to go to the stadium. "In Europe, you have less police, and that's where you have more fans at the games. "And for us as footballers, it's a lot better when you see flares in the stadium, when you see fans screaming, chanting, flares going off, because that kind of gets the adrenaline going and motivates you even more." The Socceroos (13 points) sit second in their qualifying group. A win over Japan (20 points) would almost certainly lock in their place for the 2026 World Cup.
