Bunge steers Victory to ALW semi first-leg win
Melbourne Victory have one foot in the A-League Women grand final after defender Claudia Bunge delivered a 3-1 win over Adelaide United in their away semi-final leg.
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News.com.au
a day ago
- News.com.au
Socceroos playmaker Daniel Arzani desperate to make right call about his club future
Daniel Arzani's desire to represent Australia at another FIFA World Cup has him desperate to ensure he makes the right choice about where he plays his club football next season. Arzani and the Socceroos can smell 2026 World Cup qualification ahead of their clash against Saudi Arabia in Jeddah on Wednesday morning (AEST). To have any chance of denying Australia a guaranteed World Cup spot from a top-two finish in Group C of the AFC's third round of qualifiers, the Saudis must score a minimum of five goals against the Socceroos, who beat Japan 1-0 in Perth last Thursday night. 'The job isn't done yet … and were also here representing Australia, which is not a small deal,' Arzani said from Jeddah on Sunday in stressing that the Socceroos weren't going to take a complacent attitude into the match. However, with the Saudis needing a miracle to claim second spot in Group C ahead of Australia, Arzani has been able to dream of going to another World Cup after playing at the tournament as a teenager in 2018 in Russia. It's why the Melbourne Victory star – who has been linked with a move to Scottish club Hearts – is taking his time deciding on whether to remain in the A-League next season or head overseas. The 26-year-old playmaker has been able to force his way back into the Socceroos squad on the back of good form and regular football for the Victory. With his Victory contract expiring this month, Arzani now must weigh up the gamble of trying his luck overseas or instead taking the perhaps safer option of signing a new deal with the Melbourne club, knowing that Socceroos coach Tony Popovic hasn't been afraid to pick A-League players since his appointment in September last year. 'Any of the boys that are looking to move or who are off contract, that thought process will be in their head,' Arzani said. 'It's a big deal the World Cup. It's massive. Everyone wants to be a part of it. 'It's going to be very competitive (for selection). We know we've got a lot of talent as well coming out of Australia, so it's definitely important that if I go somewhere (abroad), that I'll be playing week in, week out. 'I'm not sure what I'm doing yet, what direction I'm heading in, but that's definitely part of the equation. It's something that I'll consider. for sure.' Feeling fresh after a long flight. ðŸ'� @mitchduke8 says the boys have acclimatised well and are raring to go after their first session in Jeddah. 🇸🇦 v 🇦🇰 - 11.6.25, 4:15am AEST ðŸ'±ðŸ'»ðŸ'°: Paramount+ ðŸ'»: ABC Radio via the ABC Listen App #Socceroos #KSAvAUS — Subway Socceroos (@Socceroos) June 8, 2025 Arzani said being chosen for the Socceroos' 2026 World Cup squad, should Australia qualify, would be 'a little bit more special' than his 2018 selection because this time he would have been involving in the qualifying campaign, which he wasn't before the tournament seven years ago. 'Being around such a good group of lads and really feeling that connection with everyone working towards one common goal is always a special feeling,' he said. 'You see the stuff that happens behind the scenes and the stresses, the pressures and everything involved with qualifying for a World Cup. 'It's such a massive deal, and it's something that I never experienced before. It has been a real eye-opener, and one that I'm really enjoying.'
Sky News AU
2 days ago
- Sky News AU
Push for flares to be permitted at sports matches
Former Melbourne Victory chair Geoff Lord claims the use of flares adds to sports games and should be embraced in a safe way. This comes after controversial fan behaviour at the A-League Men Grand Final in Melbourne, where authorities say flares were thrown at officers. Mr Lord claims flares bring passion and atmosphere to the game.
Sydney Morning Herald
4 days ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Perfectly imperfect: Unlikely hero takes Socceroos to brink of another World Cup
In the fair dinkum department, however, you can start booking your tickets to North America because the Socceroos have a goal difference buffer of +10 over Saudi Arabia, the team they'll face in next week's final World Cup qualifier in Jeddah, and there's no universe in which that gets erased and Australia loses second spot in Group C. So rejoice – and prepare to rejoice again on Wednesday morning (AEST). In the meantime, Aziz Behich, please step forward and take your place in the pantheon of Australian heroes – right next to John Aloisi, Josh Kennedy and Andrew Redmayne, other Socceroo icons who have emerged from troubled times as qualification heroes. Though the rest of the match will be quickly forgotten, Behich's 90th-minute goal will be forever remembered. It came from nowhere: an inboard pass from the right from Jason Geria to fellow substitute Riley McGree, who turned beautifully and broke into space in Australia's penalty area. But his touch seemed too heavy, and the ball seemed destined to roll out for a goal kick. So he chased it, and cut the ball back to the penalty spot, picking out … well, nobody initially, but Behich went after it, beat a Japanese defender to it, and curled it in with his right foot. 'It was just about getting myself in a position into the box,' Behich said post-match. Loading 'One thing that the boss said at half-time was, we've still got to work hard, it'll be tough to break down, but we'll get our opportunity if we stick to our structure and get numbers into the box - and we'll get one opportunity, and we'll take it. 'I just tried to get myself into that back post area, and as soon as it sat and came off my foot, I felt I hit it pretty nicely. I actually didn't see the ball hit the net, I just saw the crowd erupt and players start running everywhere, and that's when I looked at the goal and was like – let's go. It's a beautiful moment. I'm grateful that I was the one to hit the back of the net, but the boys out there tonight had to work so hard.' Behich is one of Australia's most underappreciated players. He has spent most of his career trying to escape the memory of the 2010 A-League grand final, when he missed an open goal that could have won it for Melbourne Victory. Capped 80 times for the Socceroos, he is hardly the kind of guy who sells tickets or customised jerseys, and for a few years now, it's as if a good section of fans have been waiting for Jordan Bos or someone else to take his spot on the left side of defence so he can be forgotten. But Behich, 34, has a surplus of ticker, which is why teammates and coaches love him, why he never gives up, and why he is still such an important part of the national team. On Saturday night, he captained Melbourne City to an A-League championship, but that was just the entrée to the main dish: his first international goal since 2012, which sealed Australia's first win over Japan since 2009. 'With what's on the line for us, what we've had to go through this campaign, and obviously playing against a nation that we haven't beaten I don't know how many years … we're always the underdog and always expected to lose, but we always have belief within those four walls,' he said. 'This is right up there in my green and gold career.' So to the performance. The good thing is it doesn't matter – but it wasn't great. Having already qualified, Japan fielded a second-string team but still utterly dominated the first half, and mostly dominated the second half. Physically, at times, they monstered Australia. In terms of technique, the gulf was frightening. But for all their possession and territory, they managed just one shot on target for the whole match. The Socceroos did what Popovic teams tend to do, particularly in Asia: defend well, remain disciplined and focused, and strike when the opportunity is there. Loading Popovic now has over 12 months to find the missing pieces to Australia's game. There are more than a few, and they are very much needed for them to be competitive at a World Cup. In full context, though, he has done a wonderful job. When he was parachuted in as Graham Arnold's replacement, this team was in crisis, in shambles, and direct qualification looked in serious danger. He has achieved it – well, 'all but', for now – while also restoring pride in the jersey, regenerating his squad with new faces and ideas, and laying down a sturdy foundation which he and his players can now build upon.
