Popovic vows Socceroos will embrace Saudi challenge
Excited and ready to embrace the challenge.
That was the message from Australia coach Tony Popovic and cult hero Aziz Behich as the Socceroos prepare to clear the final hurdle in achieving automatic qualification to the 2026 World Cup finals.
After the 1-0 win over Japan last week even a modest defeat in Jeddah will take Australia to North America, but Popovic insisted the team will be aiming to win, not just defend for 90 minutes and aim to keep the score down.
"We have put ourselves in a very good position and we have the chance to finish the job against a tough opponent," said Popovic.
"We understand how difficult it will be but we are confident we can win the game.
"We have to have the attitude - and I know we will - the mentality, the approach, to win the match. It won't be easy, Saudi Arabia are a good side and at home with their support it will be more difficult. But these are the moments you want as a footballer, that you want as a nation.
"We are in a very good position. We understand we have to work extremely hard but we are confident we can finish the job."
Australia's superior goal difference means the Saudis need to win by five goals to leapfrog them and join Japan as the automatic qualifiers from Group C in Asian Zone qualifying round three.
It does not seem likely. In nine games in the group so far Saudi Arabia have scored six goals and Australia conceded six.
Moreover the teams have played three times in the last five years, all in World Cup qualifiers, and only one goal has been scored, by the Saudis in a 1-0 win in 2022.
Behich, who sent Australia into raptures with his 90th-minute winner against Japan in Perth, echoed Popovic's words.
"We have worked hard to put ourselves in this position," said the Melbourne City defender.
"We know it will be a difficult game but we have prepared really well and we are are very confident with the ability and the squad we have that we can get the job done.
"We know what is up for grabs and we can't wait to kick off."
In an effort to create a full house and a partisan atmosphere tickets are being given away, but Behich, who had a loan spell with Al Nassr in the Kingdom last year, said he relished the prospect.
"I'm expecting a great atmosphere," he said.
"This is what we play for. Japan was a hostile environment but the boys embraced that. You don't want to play in empty stadiums.
"It is exciting, you get that extra buzz, playing for your national team in a full stadium, and on top of that qualifying for a World Cup automatically, which we haven't done for a while.
"You can see the excitement in the boys and I am looking forward to it."
Popovic, who stressed the need to play the match, not the occasion, added: "These are the challenges you must face at this level of football.
"We have faced many together since I became the coach, starting with China - needing to win the first game to get off to a good start. Then all along the journey. We had one against Japan a few days ago, big pressure, a full stadium. We overcame that. I'm sure the young boys will embrace it.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Brazil book World Cup berth, Uruguay on brink
Brazil booked their place at the 2026 World Cup in North America on Tuesday with a 1-0 home victory over Paraguay, the first win of new coach Carlo Ancelotti's reign. The five-time world champions -- the only team to appear in every edition of the World Cup -- punched their ticket to the finals in Canada, the United States and Mexico thanks to Vinicius Jr. The Real Madrid star fired Brazil into the lead in Sao Paulo, bundling home from close range in the 44th minute after a cross from new Manchester United signing Matheus Cunha. Uruguay's 2-0 victory over Venezuela in Montevideo earlier Tuesday had raised the prospect of qualification for both Brazil and Paraguay at the Corinthians Arena. Paraguay were left needing only a point to qualify after Venezuela's defeat, while Brazil knew they could advance with a win. In the event it was Brazil who seized the opportunity presented by Venezuela's loss with Vinicius scoring the only goal just before half-time. A lacklustre Brazil had struggled to create many chances up until that point, with Cunha squandering a golden chance in the 35th minute after heading wide from point-blank range. But Cunha made up for that miss with a key part in the goal, capitalising on good work from Raphinha to dart into the box and whip in a low cross for Vinicius, who stabbed home the finish. The win lifts Brazil into third place in the South American standings with 25 points from 16 games, guaranteeing them a top-six finish and an automatic qualifying berth. The defeat leaves Paraguay with 24 points, meaning they need one point to secure their first World Cup appearance since 2010. - Argentina thwart Colombia - Ecuador can join Brazil by sealing qualification with a point against Peru in Lima later Tuesday. In other games, Uruguay edged closer to qualification with their win over Venezuela while Chile were eliminated with defeat to Bolivia. Goals from Rodrigo Aguirre and Giorgian de Arrascaeta secured all three points for Marcelo Bielsa's Uruguay to leave the two-time world champions firmly on course for a place in next year's finals. Like Paraguay, Uruguay need only a point from their final two games to qualify. Venezuela, who are bidding to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in the nation's history, are seventh with 18 points from 16 games. World Cup holders Argentina, who have already qualified, meanwhile came from behind to frustrate Colombia with a 1-1 draw in Buenos Aires. Liverpool star Luis Diaz fired Colombia into the lead with a superb 24th minute goal, and the Colombians were given a further boost midway through the second half when the world champions were reduced to 10 men after Enzo Fernandez's dismissal. But Colombia's hopes of a vital win were dashed nine minutes from time when Thiago Almada weaved into the box and found the target to level. The top six finishers in South America qualify automatically for the World Cup, with the seventh-placed team advancing to an intercontinental playoff. Elsewhere, Bolivia defeated Chile 2-0 to end the former South American champions' hopes of qualification. It marks the third straight World Cup that Chile have missed out. The loss continues a dramatic fall from grace for 'La Roja', who won back-to-back Copa Americas in 2015 and 2016.
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Mitch Duke dreaming of going to another FIFA World Cup after helping seal Australia's qualification
If Mitch Duke needed reminding that he was the latest of late call-ups to the Socceroos squad for the matches against Japan and Saudi Arabia, it came last week when he walked into his Perth hotel room. Duke was a last-minute inclusion in the squad after an injured Mathew Leckie withdrew following the A-League grand final on May 31. However, the late nature of the squad change seemed to catch Socceroos and hotel staff off guard, with Duke understood to have been greeted by a message along the lines of 'Welcome Mr Leckie' when he got to his room. Not that it bothered veteran marksman Duke, who, having been given a selection reprieve, was desperate to make the most of it. And that he did. After coming on as a second-half replacement in Australia's 1-0 win over Japan last Thursday in Perth, Duke started on Wednesday morning (AEST) against Saudi Arabia in Jeddah and secured man-of-the-match honours with a goal and an assist in a 2-1 win that sealed 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification for the Socceroos. 'I wasn't even supposed to be here,' a delighted Duke said after the win. 'Mat Leckie got injured and I was a late call-up … but it feels good and is probably a good way to silence some of the keyboard warriors as well. Duke, 34, has often been a target of unruly fans despite his tireless work as a centre-forward for the Socceroos. 'A personal triumph feels very good, but I'm more happy just for the boys, honestly,' he said after helping Australia qualify. 'Everyone stepped up when they needed to.' Duke, whose 13 goals for Australia includes one at the 2022 World Cup, remains hopeful of also playing at next year's edition of the tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada. 'All I can do is take the opportunities when they're presented to me, do well at club football and hope I just keep doing well – that's all you can do,' said the experienced striker, who has struggled for significant game this season at his Japanese club Machida Zelvia. 'There are a lot of young players up and coming (for the Socceroos). There are exciting prospects.' For Socceroos boss Tony Popovic – who took over from previous coach Graham Arnold in September last year at a tough stage in qualifying – the chance to go to another World Cup, this time as a coach after being part of Australia's squad at Germany 2006, will be a 'privilege'. 'It is special,' said Popovic, who is yet to taste defeat as coach of the national team, having a record of five wins and three draws from eight games in charge. 'I know my parents are very proud and my sister as well. It's not something you see happening. When you're young, you dream of these things. 'We've done the first part, qualifying automatically, and now the next part is to be bigger and better for the World Cup.'
ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
Mat Ryan wanted to freeze time on 100th appearance for Socceroos after penalty save
Moments after leading the Socceroos to the FIFA World Cup with a 2-1 victory over Saudi Arabia, Mat Ryan said he wanted to "freeze time". Little over eight months earlier, he must have wished for the ability to rewind it. Languishing on the bench for AS Roma, behind Mile Svilar, and dropped from the Socceroos squad in favour of Joe Gauci, Ryan's time in the Eternal City must have felt endlessly frustrating. Now he's looking at the eternal glory of being part of another Socceroos World Cup campaign. Ryan excelled for the Socceroos in Jeddah, capping his 100th appearance for the national team with a superb penalty save from Salem Al-Dawsari's late spot kick. Had it gone, Saudi Arabia still would not have had enough time to find the four more goals they needed to overhaul the Aussies into the second direct qualification spot from this phase of Asian World Cup qualifying. But the miraculous save spoke far more about the desire and heart of this Socceroos team, combined with the camaraderie that saw the squad race to embrace their skipper. "It would be nice if I could work out how to freeze time," Ryan said post-match on Paramount+, before elaborating on his penalty save for ABC Sport Daily. "It was almost as if fairytales came true," Ryan told ABC Sport. "Don't get me wrong, I treat every cap as a monumental cap, whether it's my 100th, my 40th, my 43rd, or whatever number it is — I think it's nothing less than what our jersey deserves and our great nation deserves. "In saying that, to knock up the century and in that fashion is something that I'm going to cherish for a very long time. "I do absolutely everything I can to produce for the team, thankfully my preparation and opportunity resulted in a nice positive moment there with the penalty save to contribute to the win. "The cornerstone of this team since I've been involved as a young kid with my first cap all the way through until now is the camaraderie and togetherness, that's the backbone, that's our biggest strength, and I think you've seen that during the celebrations. "They were aware of the occasion for me and what it meant, for them to get around me like that and celebrate just makes it a more special memory. "I couldn't ask for a better bunch of boys and people to go into battle with on the pitch come match day and to work side-by-side with. "I was just happy we could all embrace and share that moment together." Sharing such a pivotal and defining moment looked like a long shot for Ryan six months ago. His move to Roma failed to result in any meaningful game time. He did not play a single minute in Serie A, making just one appearance for the Giallorossi in a 4-1 Coppa Italia victory over Sampdoria. "For sure there were a few doubts there that I had played my last game for the national team," Ryan said. "No one is ever entitled to play and you have to earn every opportunity. "One of the non-negotiables in life for anyone who's wanting to achieve something and be successful is you've got to stay strong and resilient when you're facing some adversity. "Throughout the whole process of it all, the whole journey of this qualification period, I continued to believe in myself, thinking that I am the best man for the job. "As an individual if you're not thinking that, you're failing at the first hurdle. "Obviously football and life, it's full of opinions, but I was confident that I could still offer this team something and it was just a matter of sticking to my guns and continuing to work and letting my football do the talking." A mid-season transfer to RC Lens in France's Ligue 1 sparked a revival in Ryan's fortunes which coupled with being selected to start in the 2-2 away draw with Bahrain late in the year, saw the 33-year-old earn back his spot. "At the end of the day I just tried to produce as often as I could," Ryan said. "I'm pretty proud of the way I worked my way back into the position I'm in because I think a lot of people in my scenario could have spat the dummy and it could have been the end of my international career. "But I'm still hungry, I'm still motivated. Qualification hadn't been a certainty for the Socceroos early in the campaign. The Socceroos struggled in their opening two games in the third round of qualifying under Graham Arnold, losing at home to Bahrain and limping to a draw in tough conditions against Indonesia. Ryan said the group always believed, but new coach Tony Popovic had instilled even more belief in the squad since he came in. "One thing is that we unite … we are all Australian, and the difficulties that we face being an Australian footballer, trying to travel the world and play overseas in Europe, that's something that no other team has," Ryan said. "Covering the amount of distance and hardship with all the travel, that kinda hardens us even more and brings us together even more than other nations. "And part of what makes us Australian is we roll up our sleeves and get on with it and then give it our best crack when it comes to game day and that seems to work best for us." Conceding two goals on his return against Bahrain on limited game time was not ideal, but since then the Socceroos, with Ryan between the sticks, have conceded just twice in six hours of football. Indeed, in the last five matches Ryan has only had to face 15 shots on goal, a testament to his defensive organisation as much as anything. All this culminated with his spectacular penalty save to preserve the Socceroos' 2-1 victory in Jeddah and fly through into the World Cup finals. "It's an exciting time to be a part of this team," Ryan said. "I hadn't beaten Japan before in my career. Direct qualification, I haven't done personally before. "We're already doing something that teams I've been a part of haven't done. "It's nice to have ticked those boxes now and I'm looking forward to continuing ticking many more boxes as we move forward."
