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Free Malaysia Today
3 hours ago
- Sport
- Free Malaysia Today
Aussies wary of Saudi gamesmanship ahead of crunch World Cup qualifier
A 1-0 win over Japan on Thursday bought the Socceroos breathing room in their quest for a World Cup spot. (AP pic) HONG KONG : Australia's Connor Metcalfe has warned his teammates to avoid reacting to Saudi Arabia's gamesmanship when the nations face off in Jeddah on Tuesday with automatic qualification for next year's World Cup finals on the line. Tony Popovic's outfit goes into the meeting at the King Abdullah Sports City with one foot on the plane to North America after a 1-0 win over Japan on Thursday bought the Socceroos breathing room in their quest for a place at the finals. Despite that advantage, Metcalfe has sought to ensure the Australians do not allow their focus to slip ahead of a crucial 90 minutes that will be played out in front of more than 50,000 fans and in stifling heat. 'There's going to be a lot of diving, a lot of acting, but it's about just blocking the noise out, focusing on ourselves and doing the best we can,' said the St Pauli midfielder. 'You can't get affected by any of it, because if you get affected by any of their little games or noise or whatever it is, then it's just going to affect the game, and they're going to get that little advantage over you.' Australia hold a three-point lead over Herve Renard's side and a large enough goal difference to leave the Saudis needing to win by five goals to climb into second and claim the last automatic berth from the current phase of Asian preliminaries. Japan have already secured top spot in Group C while Iran, Uzbekistan, South Korea and Jordan have taken the other berths available to Asian nations at the expanded World Cup from the third phase of qualifying. A further two spots will be up for grabs from a fourth round of qualifiers to be played in October. Anything other than a significant win over the Australians would see Saudi Arabia finish third in Group C and enter that next phase, where they would join the UAE, Qatar, Iraq and Indonesia. Also battling for a place in the fourth round are Oman and Palestine, with the pair looking to secure either third or fourth place in Group B on Tuesday. The two countries face off against each other in Amman with the Palestinians needing to win to climb above Rashid Jaber's side and keep their World Cup qualification dream alive. Neither nation has played at the World Cup and Palestine go into the meeting having handed Kuwait a 2-0 defeat on Thursday to stay in the hunt for a spot in the US, Canada and Mexico.
The Australian
9 hours ago
- Sport
- The Australian
Socceroos on verge of FIFA World Cup qualification
The Socceroos are bracing themselves for a hostile reception on and the off field in Saudi Arabia, where FIFA World Cup qualification will be up for grabs on Wednesday morning in Jeddah. The Australians are on the brink of reaching next year's World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, with the Saudis needing to score at the least five goals against them to have any hope of securing guaranteed qualification at the expense of the Socceroos. As a result, Saudi hospitality is expected to be anything but forthcoming. 'I'm expecting delays at the airport, I'm expecting a really bad pitch to train on, I'm expecting … bus delays before the game,' Socceroos midfielder Connor Metcalfe said. 'They're probably just going to throw everything at us because they know what they need to do, and they're going to make it as difficult as possible.' And don't expect the Socceroos to take things lying down, with Metcalfe saying the Australians would be willing to display some gamesmanship of their own to frustrate the hosts. Connor Metcalfe and the Socceroos can guarantee themselves FIFA World Cup qualification in Jeddah on Wednesday morning (AEST). Picture:'We're going to have to play a little bit of their game as well,' he said. 'Whether we waste time and delay the game as much as we can, because it's going to be like that. 'There's going to be a lot of diving, a lot of acting, but we will block the noise out, focus on ourselves and do the best we can. 'If you get affected by any of their little games or noise or whatever it is, then it's just going to affect the game, and they're going to get that little advantage over you. 'We want to beat them on their home turf in front of all their fans.' Metcalfe returned to Socceroos duty last Thursday night in Australia's 1-0 win over Japan in Perth after missing the national team's previous seven matches following a series of injuries that restricted him to just 10 appearances for his German club St. Pauli in the 2024-25 Bundesliga season. 'It's been a long, long journey, (and a) tough ride, but it was amazing being back out there,' the former Melbourne City star said. 'Just being involved in a win as well in front of a home crowd was a special feeling.' Read related topics: FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 Marco Monteverde Sports reporter Marco Monteverde is a Brisbane-based sports reporter for NCA Newswire. He worked in a similar role for The Courier-Mail from 2007 to 2020. During a journalism career of more than 25 years, he has also worked for The Queensland Times, The Sunshine Coast Daily, The Fraser Coast Chronicle and The North West Star. He has covered three FIFA World Cups and the 2000 Sydney Olympics, as well as a host of other major sporting events in Australia and around the world. @marcothejourno Marco Monteverde
South China Morning Post
9 hours ago
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Australians wary of Saudi Arabia's ‘games' as teams fight for last automatic World Cup spot
Australia's Connor Metcalfe has warned his teammates to avoid reacting to Saudi Arabia's gamesmanship when the nations face off in Jeddah on Tuesday with automatic qualification for next year's World Cup finals on the line. Tony Popovic's outfit go into the meeting at the King Abdullah Sports City with one foot on the plane to North America after a 1-0 win over Japan on Thursday bought the Socceroos breathing room in their quest for a place at the finals. Despite that advantage, Metcalfe sought to ensure the Australians do not allow their focus to slip ahead of a crucial 90 minutes that will be played out in front of more than 50,000 fans and in stifling heat. 'There's going to be a lot of diving, a lot of acting, but it's about just blocking the noise out, focusing on ourselves and doing the best we can,' said the midfielder with Bundesliga club St. Pauli. 'You can't get affected by any of it, because if you get affected by any of their little games or noise or whatever it is, then it's just going to affect the game, and they're going to get that little advantage over you.' Australia's Connor Metcalfe (right) said his team had to keep their focus in Jeddah. Photo: EPA-EFE Australia hold a three-point lead over Hervé Renard's side and a large enough goal difference to leave the Saudis needing to win by five goals to climb into second and claim the last automatic berth from the current phase of Asian preliminaries.
Reuters
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Australians wary of Saudi 'games' ahead of crunch World Cup qualifier
HONG KONG, June 8 (Reuters) - Australia's Connor Metcalfe has warned his teammates to avoid reacting to Saudi Arabia's gamesmanship when the nations face off in Jeddah on Tuesday with automatic qualification for next year's World Cup finals on the line. Tony Popovic's outfit go into the meeting at the King Abdullah Sports City with one foot on the plane to North America after a 1-0 win over Japan on Thursday bought the Socceroos breathing room in their quest for a place at the finals. Despite that advantage, Metcalfe has sought to ensure the Australians do not allow their focus to slip ahead of a crucial 90 minutes that will be played out in front of more than 50,000 fans and in stifling heat. "There's going to be a lot of diving, a lot of acting, but it's about just blocking the noise out, focusing on ourselves and doing the best we can," said the St. Pauli midfielder. "You can't get affected by any of it, because if you get affected by any of their little games or noise or whatever it is, then it's just going to affect the game, and they're going to get that little advantage over you." Australia hold a three point lead over Herve Renard's side and a large enough goal difference to leave the Saudis needing to win by five goals to climb into second and claim the last automatic berth from the current phase of Asian preliminaries. Japan have already secured top spot in Group C while Iran, Uzbekistan, South Korea and Jordan have taken the other berths available to Asian nations at the expanded World Cup from the third phase of qualifying. A further two spots will be up for grabs from a fourth round of qualifiers to be played in October. Anything other than a significant win over the Australians would see Saudi Arabia finish third in Group C and enter that next phase, where they would join the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Iraq and Indonesia. Also battling for a place in the fourth round are Oman and Palestine, with the pair looking to secure either third or fourth place in Group B on Tuesday. The two countries face off against each other in Amman with the Palestinians needing to win to climb above Rashid Jaber's side and keep their World Cup qualification dream alive. Neither nation has played at the World Cup and Palestine go into the meeting having handed Kuwait a 2-0 defeat on Thursday to stay in the hunt for a spot in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Straits Times
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Australians wary of Saudi 'games' ahead of crunch World Cup qualifier
HONG KONG - Australia's Connor Metcalfe has warned his teammates to avoid reacting to Saudi Arabia's gamesmanship when the nations face off in Jeddah on Tuesday with automatic qualification for next year's World Cup finals on the line. Tony Popovic's outfit go into the meeting at the King Abdullah Sports City with one foot on the plane to North America after a 1-0 win over Japan on Thursday bought the Socceroos breathing room in their quest for a place at the finals. Despite that advantage, Metcalfe has sought to ensure the Australians do not allow their focus to slip ahead of a crucial 90 minutes that will be played out in front of more than 50,000 fans and in stifling heat. "There's going to be a lot of diving, a lot of acting, but it's about just blocking the noise out, focusing on ourselves and doing the best we can," said the St. Pauli midfielder. "You can't get affected by any of it, because if you get affected by any of their little games or noise or whatever it is, then it's just going to affect the game, and they're going to get that little advantage over you." Australia hold a three point lead over Herve Renard's side and a large enough goal difference to leave the Saudis needing to win by five goals to climb into second and claim the last automatic berth from the current phase of Asian preliminaries. Japan have already secured top spot in Group C while Iran, Uzbekistan, South Korea and Jordan have taken the other berths available to Asian nations at the expanded World Cup from the third phase of qualifying. A further two spots will be up for grabs from a fourth round of qualifiers to be played in October. Anything other than a significant win over the Australians would see Saudi Arabia finish third in Group C and enter that next phase, where they would join the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Iraq and Indonesia. Also battling for a place in the fourth round are Oman and Palestine, with the pair looking to secure either third or fourth place in Group B on Tuesday. The two countries face off against each other in Amman with the Palestinians needing to win to climb above Rashid Jaber's side and keep their World Cup qualification dream alive. Neither nation has played at the World Cup and Palestine go into the meeting having handed Kuwait a 2-0 defeat on Thursday to stay in the hunt for a spot in the United States, Canada and Mexico. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
