Latest news with #RedStarBelgrade
New Straits Times
2 days ago
- General
- New Straits Times
Australia target easier path to World Cup ahead of Japan clash
SYDNEY: Australia's Milos Degenek said he has been impressing on younger teammates how tough it is to get to the World Cup through intercontinental playoffs as they prepare for their last two matches in the third round of Asian qualifying. A first win over Japan in 16 years in Perth on Thursday would put Australia well on their way to the finals in North America in 2026, but will not get them over the line if Saudi Arabia beat Bahrain in a later match. The Socceroos have a three-point edge and a healthy goal difference advantage over the Saudis, their main rivals for second place in Group C and their opponents in their final qualifier in Jeddah next Tuesday. The expansion of the World Cup means Australia still have room for error but Degenek, a veteran of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup campaigns that were secured by playoff wins over Honduras and Peru, is loathe to take any chances. "It's never easy when you go to those knockout games (and) it's a lot easier if you qualify through the group stage directly," the former Red Star Belgrade defender told reporters in Perth this week. "It's been hammered home and I think the boys ... are well aware of the situation, that there are two games that are separating us from going to a World Cup." If Australia do beat the Samurai Blue on Thursday, they still face a long wait to find out if they have secured a berth at a sixth straight World Cup finals. The Saudis kick off in Bahrain some five hours after Australia and Japan, potentially leaving the Socceroos players on tenterhooks well into the early hours of Friday morning. "If we do get the win, hopefully we will, we are obviously almost there," Degenek added. "The most important thing is that we win. We can obviously be happy inside and celebrate a little bit, but nothing too major because if Saudi win against Bahrain ... we'll still have to go there and get a result." With Japan already qualified, Hajime Moriyasu has rested several of his best players and brought in a handful of uncapped youngsters for Thursday's game. Degenek, who played club football in Japan for Yokohama F. Marinos, did not think that would make Australia's task any easier. "I think it's even harder for us that those so-called stars are out, because the boys that are coming in ... are going to want to prove to the boss that they should be there at the World Cup," he said. "So it's not going to be a walk in the park, and they're going to take this as serious, if not more serious, than any other game."--REUTERS
Straits Times
2 days ago
- General
- Straits Times
Australia target easier path to World Cup ahead of Japan clash
Australia's Milos Degenek is hoping to avoid the play-offs to make it to the 2026 World Cup. SYDNEY – Australia's Milos Degenek said he has been impressing on younger teammates how tough it is to get to the World Cup through intercontinental play-offs, as they prepare for their last two matches in the third round of Asian qualifying. A first win over Japan in 16 years in Perth on June 5 would put Australia well on their way to the Finals in North America in 2026, but will not get them over the line if Saudi Arabia beat Bahrain in a later match. The Socceroos have a three-point edge and a healthy goal difference advantage over the Saudis, their main rivals for second place in Group C and their opponents in their final qualifier in Jeddah on June 10. The expansion of the World Cup means Australia still have room for error but Degenek, a veteran of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup campaigns that were secured by play-off wins over Honduras and Peru, is loathe to take any chances. 'It's never easy when you go to those knockout games (and) it's a lot easier if you qualify through the group stage directly,' the former Red Star Belgrade defender said in Perth this week. 'It's been hammered home and I think the boys are well aware of the situation, that there are two games that are separating us from going to a World Cup.' If Australia do beat the Samurai Blue, they still face a long wait to find out if they have secured a berth at a sixth straight World Cup Finals. The Saudis kick off in Bahrain some five hours after Australia and Japan, potentially leaving the Socceroos players on tenterhooks well into the early hours of Friday morning. 'If we do get the win, hopefully we will, we are obviously almost there,' Degenek added. 'The most important thing is that we win. We can obviously be happy inside and celebrate a little bit, but nothing too major because if Saudi win against Bahrain... we'll still have to go there and get a result.' With Japan already qualified, Hajime Moriyasu has rested several of his best players and brought in a handful of uncapped youngsters for the game. But Degenek, who played club football in Japan for Yokohama F. Marinos, did not think that would make Australia's task any easier. 'I think it's even harder for us that those so-called stars are out, because the boys that are coming in are going to want to prove to the boss that they should be there at the World Cup,' he said. 'So it's not going to be a walk in the park, and they're going to take this as serious, if not more serious, than any other game.' REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Soccer-Australia target easier path to World Cup ahead of Japan clash
SYDNEY, - Australia's Milos Degenek said he has been impressing on younger teammates how tough it is to get to the World Cup through intercontinental playoffs as they prepare for their last two matches in the third round of Asian qualifying. A first win over Japan in 16 years in Perth on Thursday would put Australia well on their way to the finals in North America in 2026, but will not get them over the line if Saudi Arabia beat Bahrain in a later match. The Socceroos have a three-point edge and a healthy goal difference advantage over the Saudis, their main rivals for second place in Group C and their opponents in their final qualifier in Jeddah next Tuesday. The expansion of the World Cup means Australia still have room for error but Degenek, a veteran of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup campaigns that were secured by playoff wins over Honduras and Peru, is loathe to take any chances. "It's never easy when you go to those knockout games it's a lot easier if you qualify through the group stage directly," the former Red Star Belgrade defender told reporters in Perth this week. "It's been hammered home and I think the boys ... are well aware of the situation, that there are two games that are separating us from going to a World Cup." If Australia do beat the Samurai Blue on Thursday, they still face a long wait to find out if they have secured a berth at a sixth straight World Cup finals. The Saudis kick off in Bahrain some five hours after Australia and Japan, potentially leaving the Socceroos players on tenterhooks well into the early hours of Friday morning. "If we do get the win, hopefully we will, we are obviously almost there," Degenek added. "The most important thing is that we win. We can obviously be happy inside and celebrate a little bit, but nothing too major because if Saudi win against Bahrain ... we'll still have to go there and get a result." With Japan already qualified, Hajime Moriyasu has rested several of his best players and brought in a handful of uncapped youngsters for Thursday's game. Degenek, who played club football in Japan for Yokohama F. Marinos, did not think that would make Australia's task any easier. "I think it's even harder for us that those so-called stars are out, because the boys that are coming in ... are going to want to prove to the boss that they should be there at the World Cup," he said. "So it's not going to be a walk in the park, and they're going to take this as serious, if not more serious, than any other game."
The Advertiser
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Advertiser
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. 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. 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.
Perth Now
3 days ago
- Sport
- 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.
