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The Guardian
9 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Not pretty, not fun but Socceroos slog ends with miraculous win amid late drama
At half-time of Australia's 1-0 win over Japan, a smash-and-grab to end all smash-and-grabs that all but punches their tickets to the 2026 World Cup, the Socceroos staff had a clear message for their players. They'd been handily outplayed to that point, lucky to get out of their own half let alone fashion something resembling a threat on their opponent's goal, as a second-string Samurai Blue outfit dominated almost every meaningful statistic except the only one that mattered. There was a feeling of disappointment over a perceived lack of toughness from the home side, a view that they were second best in every challenge, losing their duels and missing out on every second ball. But there was no sense of panic. 'The coaches were just like, 'stay calm', keep moving it, keep moving it,' said Connor Metcalfe. 'And if we have to score in the 90th minute, then we have to score in the 90th minute.' Call it coincidence, precognition or divine intervention, but it was the 90th minute when Riley McGree turned Ayumu Seko and got to the byline to cut the ball back for Aziz Behich, who met the ball and sent it beyond Kosei Tani and into the back of the net. In one split second, a battling draw became a miraculous win, and the sins of the previous 90 minutes were washed away in euphoria. It wasn't pretty, nor was it particularly fun, but now, Tony Popovic's side will board a flight to Jeddah knowing that anything short of disaster in their clash with Saudi Arabia on Tuesday will remove any qualifiers from their accomplishment. Keeping alive their incredibly faint hopes of supplanting Australia with a 2-0 win over Bahrain later on Thursday evening, Saudi Arabia will welcome the Socceroos to the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium three points behind them in Group C, sitting in third place and staring up at their opponents in the second of two automatic qualification slots. To replace them, Hervé Renard's side would not only need a win to draw level on points – the Socceroos have lost just once during this phase of qualification, and are yet to have done so under Popovic – but they will also need to overcome an eight-goal differential; Australia currently sit at +8 with the Saudis back at 0 following their win. As goals scored serves as the third tiebreaker in qualifying – and the Socceroos have scored 14 times across their nine games compared to the six of the Saudis – drawing level with a 4-0 win wouldn't be enough either; Saudi Arabia would have to win 5-0. Here it is important to note that nothing can be taken for granted in football. Few would have anticipated that Inter would lose 5-0 to PSG in last week's Champions League final until the petrodollar-backed Parisians swept them aside. And Popovic, while in a good mood, wasn't allowing himself to get too carried away on Thursday, noting that the press pack would still have to write 'all but' qualified for now. But for all their foibles in possession and an inability to match either the technique or physicality of Japan on Thursday, the one thing the Socceroos have been able to do very well over the years is defend. And, as one would expect, this has only heightened under Popovic. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion For all the weight of territory and possession they were able to accumulate at Optus Stadium, Japan were lacking actual, clear-cut chances. Of the 13 shots they had on Thursday, just the one – a first-half effort from Yū Hirakawa that was comfortably saved by Maty Ryan – was on target. Yuito Suzuki drove forward in the 28th minute and bend a shot wide, and Takefusa Kubo caused all sorts of problems when he came on – highlighted by an 80th-minute attempt in which he sold candy to three defenders before shooting just wide on his non-preferred foot – but the backline of Miloš Degenek, Cameron Burgess and Alessandro Circati held firm. For Circati, making his first appearance for the national team since he ruptured his ACL last September and playing in his native Perth, the emotion of the win and what it meant almost overcame him post-game. The 21-year-old had somehow found the energy to be one of five Australians advancing into the penalty area to present for McGree's cross and was amongst the first on hand to celebrate with Behich, who netted just his third international goal 4,561 days after his only other two goals for Australia. Brought on as a second-half substitute, McGree – who has been restricted to just three appearances with Middlesbrough in 2025 due to successive injuries – didn't even have the energy to celebrate the goal properly. It was uncannily reflective. It was unlikely, it was a slog, and they suffered. But just as their coach had predicted, the Socceroos found a way.
Arab News
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Arab News
Australia on brink of World Cup after dramatic late winner
PERTH: Australia moved to the brink of the World Cup after beating already qualified Japan 1-0 in Perth on Thursday thanks to Aziz Behich's 90th-minute winner. In front of a sell-out crowd of 57,226 at Optus Stadium, the Socceroos were outplayed for long periods by an experimental Japan side. But then substitute Riley McGree cut the ball back to defender Behich, who rifled a bullet into the corner for his first international goal in 13 years and trigger scenes of jubilation. After beating Japan for the first time since 2009, Australia are on the cusp of next year's World Cup in North America. 'We know there's room to grow and room to improve, but we've done something special tonight,' coach Tony Popovic said. Before the game the Socceroos had a three-point lead and a significantly better goal difference over Saudi Arabia with two matches left. The win does not totally guarantee Australia's passage, with Saudi Arabia at Bahrain later on Thursday. Australia then face the Saudis in Jeddah on June 10 in their final Group C match in the battle for second behind Japan. Teams that finish in the top two of the six-team group guarantee their automatic spot at the World Cup. After what had been a lacklustre performance for much of the game, Australia's last-gasp victory continued their turnaround since Popovic arrived in September. 'We've all played a part in getting us to this point,' he said. 'We want to go to Saudi Arabia and really finish the job off.' After becoming the first team to punch their ticket to the World Cup, Japan coach Hajjime For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport 'I wanted to see what they (the inexperienced players) could do against a strong opponent in very difficult circumstances,' Moriyasu said. 'We have to improve and expand our squad.' Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo and Real Sociedad's Takefusa Kubo started on the bench as Japan fielded three debutants in the starting line-up. Crystal Palace's Daichi Kamada, playing his 41st international, was considerably their most experienced starter. Japan completely dominated the first half with 21-year-old midfielder Kota Tawaratsumida impressing on his debut. It was only a matter of time before Japan had a clear-cut chance, with Yuito Suzuki having an attempt from long range on the half-hour mark. Japan continued to attack with debutant Yu Hirakawa firing just wide of the left post after beating outstretched goalkeeper Mathew Ryan. The break arrived at a good time for Australia. After being brought on in the 64th minute, Kubo curled past the right post, before Behich stepped up late with his priceless goal.
CNA
19 hours ago
- General
- CNA
Late Behich strike puts Australia on brink of World Cup
Left back Aziz Behich scored a last-minute winner as Australia moved to the brink of qualification for the 2026 World Cup with a 1-0 win over Japan in Perth on Thursday. With time running out, Behich pounced on Riley McGree's cut back and turned to lash the ball into the net to the delight of a crowd of 57,226 that had endured a laboured performance from the Socceroos. Australia remain in second place in Group C behind the already qualified Japanese and will go through to the finals if third-placed Saudi Arabia fail to beat Bahrain in Riffa later on Thursday. Even if the later result in Bahrain goes against them, Australia's superior goal difference means they will progress to a sixth successive World Cup with anything barring a heavy defeat when they meet the Saudis in Jeddah next Tuesday. "It's a great feeling," said Behich. "It was a tough game. We knew we had to grind it out. The boss at halftime said no matter how tough it gets, we'll get our opportunity if we stick to it. And fortunately enough, it fell for me." Australia's first win over Samurai Blue in 16 years and Japan's first international loss since February last year looked highly unlikely for 89 minutes until Behich struck. Japan, who were the first country to qualify for the World Cup, rested most of their top players and fielded a team with three debutants but still dominated possession as Australia struggled to get a foothold in the contest. Outworked and starved of the ball, the Socceroos won their first corner after half an hour which resulted in their first shot, a glancing header wide from Connor Metcalfe. For all their possession, the Samurai Blue produced little to trouble Mat Ryan in the Australia goal with new cap Yu Hirakawa coming closest to scoring with a low shot that flew past the post in the 37th minute. Australia coach Tony Popovic made two changes at halftime to try and secure more possession but his players continued to chase shadows as Hajime Moriyasu's young team stroked the ball around. The Japanese still lacked a cutting edge up front even after a bit more experience came off the bench and substitute Takefusa Kubo beat Ryan but missed the target with a great opportunity in the 80th minute. Australia never gave up, however, and substitute midfielder McGree finally produced a moment of quality to turn his defender and get to the byline before pulling the ball back for Behich to score the goal.
France 24
19 hours ago
- Sport
- France 24
Australia on brink of World Cup after dramatic late winner
In front of a sell-out crowd of 57,226 at Optus Stadium, the Socceroos were outplayed for long periods by an inexperienced Japan side. But then Riley McGree cut the ball back to defender Behich, who rifled a bullet into the corner for his first international goal in 13 years and trigger scenes of jubilation. After beating Japan for the first time since 2009, Australia are all but assured of a berth at next year's World Cup in North America. Before the game the Socceroos had a three-point lead and a significantly better goal difference over Saudi Arabia with two matches left. The win does not totally guarantee Australia's passage, with Saudi Arabia at Bahrain later on Thursday. Australia face Saudi Arabia in Jeddah on June 10 in their final Group C match in the battle for second behind Japan. Teams that finish in the top two of the six-team group guarantee their automatic spot at the World Cup. After what had been a lacklustre performance for much of the game, Australia's last-gasp victory continued their turnaround since Tony Popovic was installed as coach in September. After becoming the first team to punch their tickets to the World Cup, Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu used the trip to Australia as an opportunity to experiment with his squad. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo and Real Sociedad's Takefusa Kubo started on the bench as Japan fielded three debutants in the starting line-up. Crystal Palace's Daichi Kamada, playing his 41st international, was considerably their most experienced starting player. But Japan's youngsters completely dominated the first-half with 21-year-old wing back Kota Tawaratsumida impressing on debut. It was only a matter of time before Japan had a clear-cut chance at breaking the deadlock, with Yuito Suzuki making an attempt from long range on the half-hour mark. Japan continued to attack with debutant Yu Hirakawa firing a bullet just wide of the left post after beating outstretched goalkeeper Mathew Ryan. The break arrived at an good time for Australia. © 2025 AFP
News.com.au
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
‘Rope-a-dope' Socceroos grab huge World Cup qualifying win over Japan
The Socceroos have stolen a shock 1-0 win over Asian giants Japan to take a giant leap towards qualification for the 2026 World Cup finals in the US, Canada and Mexico. In front of 57,226 fans at Optus Stadium in Perth, Tony Popovic's side produced very little attacking threat of note in a largely disappointing return on home soil. Watch every game of The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup LIVE on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer. But in the final minute of regulation time, substitute Riley McGree found space down the right and produced a cut back that fell for Aziz Behich, who finished superbly to send the home crowd into raptures. The Socceroos are second in their group, behind already-qualified Japan, now sitting six points ahead of third-placed Saudi Arabia. The Saudis play later against Bahrain and will need to win and then beat the Socceroos in their final match in Jeddah, and make up a 10-goal difference, to send Australia into a third-placed playoff. Australia was facing an uphill task coming into the match, having failed to beat Japan in 10 consecutive meetings dating way back to 2009. Asian giants Japan meanwhile were riding a 21-match unbeaten streak in World Cup qualifiers, including 18 wins. But the stats meant nothing as Australia snatched a huge three points right at the death. 'It was one attack of substance,' Andy Harper said on Paramount Plus. 'One.' Behich was understandably beaming after such a critical moment in national colours. 'Obviously we've had better games, but that's football,' he said. 'The ones where you have to grind and scrap, they're the ones you remember and we're going to enjoy this night.' Japan brought an understrength side to Australia, but was captained by Crystal Palace FA Cup winner Daichi Kamada and had the likes of Liverpool's Wataru Endo on the bench. With so much on the line, the Socceroos got off to a nervy start and battled for any form of meaningful possession. The visitors enjoyed a whopping 84 per cent of the ball over the first 12 minutes without carving out any clear goalscoring opportunities. 'Australia has to work really hard to find any sort of space,' Simon Hill said in commentary. It didn't get any better, with the home side failing to get any sort of control. 'Australia have a growing problem here and one they need to find a solution to,' Hill said. 90TH MINUTE. AZIZ BEHICH 🥶 A goal worth waiting 13 years for 😉 🎥 @10FootballAU #Socceroos #AUSvJPN — Subway Socceroos (@Socceroos) June 5, 2025 Co-commentator Harper then quipped: 'Australia have been second-best in a two-horse race, almost fourth best, trying to keep the ball.' It took until the 33rd minute for Australia to get forward and chalk up its first corner as the home fans waited for something to cheer. It came to nothing and the half ended 0-0, which was the only real positive for Popovic's side. In a game of very few chances, Japanese substitute Takefusa Kubo had what appeared the best of the game, when his shot flashed just wide of Maty Ryan's post with just over 10 minutes remaining. Up stepped Behich with a superb curling strike that is up there with the most important in Australia's World Cup qualifying history. Despite the late heroics, Australia showed it still has a long way to go to build a team that can compete on the global stage and fans were quick to vent their frustrations. 'Nice preview of the absolute garbage we'll serve up if we do make the world cup,' was one blunt comment on X prior to Behich's goal. 'We don't deserve to be anywhere near the WC Finals,' said another. 'Lads, games started by the way,' said another well into the second half. Others were increasingly annoyed with the game style. One tweeted: 'Why are we playing with a defensive mindset, you don't win games if you aren't even looking to score.' Another asked: 'Can we do something other than passing the ball f**king back?' One fan said: 'We look easily outclassed (at home). When you look at our (attacking) options, we really are a pub side. But effort goes a long way let's pinch it.' Effort did prove the difference for an Australian side that kept trying and managed to grab a victory with its first and only real opportunity. 'Sometimes we're critical of coaches but maybe we've got to say Popovic got it right tonight,' Hill added. 'The rope-a-dope worked.'
