On a recent evening, Craig Goodwin once again proved himself to be a crucial member of the Socceroos’ attacking team by scoring two goals and providing two “assists in spirit” in their 5-0 victory against Lebanon. Many were left wondering why his accurate passes and scoring abilities did not secure him a spot on the team earlier in his career, or why he never achieved success in Europe.
On that night, Kusini Yengi and John Iredale each scored their first international goals for their country. In Iredale’s second international appearance, he couldn’t help but cry as he was embraced in a hug by Jackson Irvine. The goal came from a cross from Patrick Yazbek at the back post, shortly after Yazbek had entered the game as the 641st player to represent Australia.
The victory secured a definite spot for the Socceroos in the next round of Asian World Cup qualifiers with two games remaining. They achieved four consecutive wins without letting in a single goal in 360 minutes of play, in front of a record-breaking audience of 25,023 people. This was the largest ever for a football game held in the country’s capital.
But there was also a cloud. There always is. As Goodwin was putting on a show after missing last week’s 2-0 win with illness, another creative force in Ajdin Hrusitc was being carried from the field, unable to support his weight on his left leg after being scythed down by Ali Tneich in the 51st minute, just moments after he had scooped a pass perfectly into the path of Goodwin for his first goal of the evening. Whereas Iredale’s tears in the 68th minute were of joy, Hrustic’s in that moment were of pain and injustice – the playmaker having only just made his return to the national setup after 10 months of injuries and frustration at club level. Graham Arnold, calling it a horrific challenge, said Hrustic was hobbling around the dressing room post-game.
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After their current match, the Socceroos won’t play again until June. There is hope that if the 27-year-old’s injury requires an extended recovery, he will be healed in time for the team’s final games against Bangladesh and Palestine. During this break, the coach will also need to determine how to sustain the team’s scoring success, as their strong offensive performance in Canberra came after a less impressive showing in Sydney last week.
As the crimson moon continued to ascend, the game began perfectly for Arnold. Goodwin was skillfully sent down the left side by Connor Metcalfe in less than two minutes, and delivered an immaculate pass to Yengi at the edge of the six-yard box, who scored on his second attempt into the back of the goal.
However, this did not signify a sudden burst of aggression. Not yet. For a significant portion of the following part of the performance, the match felt like an extension of last Thursday’s game. Harry Souttar had a close attempt with a header off a Goodwin cross that hit the post near the end of the first half, but the only other noteworthy opportunity occurred when a ball from Cameron Burgess bounced off Tniech’s head and landed right in his path – but his resulting shot was aimed straight at keeper Mostafa Matar. There was a lack of penetration.
Arnold stated that his team missed multiple chances to score in the first half and emphasized the importance of maintaining high standards. He stressed the need to effectively utilize scoring opportunities in order to dominate the game and prevent opponents from staying in contention.
The Socceroos scored multiple goals, with two in the second half and more following, against Lebanon. After the game, Lebanon’s coach Miodrag Radulović admitted that playing two games in five days against a strong team like Australia was too difficult for his players. In the 47th minute, Bassel Jradi accidentally scored an own goal while trying to block a shot from Souttar from a free kick taken by Goodwin. Just a minute later, Hrustic assisted in scoring for Australia. Later on, Yazbek set up Iredale for a goal, followed by Goodwin scoring the final goal of the game in the 81st minute after receiving a cross from Iredale that Walid Shour failed to clear.
Source: theguardian.com
