Plenty of commentators (me among them) have been critical of the Socceroos’ performances against teams we ought to beat easily. We always looked safe enough at the back but just weren’t making enough chances.

I stand by that criticism but I did also express my hope that we would turn it around against a decent team. Against South Korea we were vastly improved.

Arnie’s selections were comforting. Atkinson back on the right and Goodwin starting – both did extremely well. It was also the first time Mat Ryan had played without his protective mask. I had wondered whether it was distracting him because his judgment had looked a little out in earlier matches.

In this match he was magnificent – saving Australia time and time again.

The South Koreans are not easy to play against. They have quality all over the park (ahem), mostly playing in better leagues than our players, and they throw numbers forward in wave after wave. Many of them are able to beat the first defender with either pace or trickery.

It takes incredible discipline to defend for 90 minutes against such a formidable attack and the Socceroos defended perfectly for nearly the entire match. They worked as a unit – making it very difficult for the Koreans to work through the lines. I don’t remember them having any serious shots on target before the penalty.

The thing about throwing numbers forward though is that it can leave you vulnerable at the back. They usually back themselves to either keep the ball or win it back quickly (which they did a lot – 30% / 70% possession in their favour), but every now and then we escaped the press and made chances of our own. The move for our goal was great football ending in Atkinson’s deft cross and Goodwin’s outstanding volley.

We made other chances also. Martin Boyle absolutely should have scored when unmarked at the far post. He had time to pick his spot and then was gifted an even easier chance from the rebound. He’ll be having nightmares about hitting the keeper (who did well) but he really should have scored.

Duke and Irvine also had golden opportunities and, against good teams like South Korea, there was always the likelihood that one goal was not going to be enough. You’ve got to take your chances.

Another who’ll be losing sleep is Arnie. His game plan and selections were first rate on this occasion, until he swapped Atkinson for Lewis Miller.

Maybe Atkinson was getting tired, or was injured, but he had managed Son Heung Min and his cronies really well. When Son was pushed out wide he made Miller’s life a nightmare and it was a very unnecessary tackle that saw him crash to the ground in the 5th minute of added time.

We’d been so close.

There was an inevitability about the way the rest of the match played out. Despite two days more to prepare (which is unfair in a tournament of this importance) it was the Socceroos who were fading and another lazy tackle from Miller, and then a badly mistimed challenge from Aiden O’Neill saw the end of our chances.

So we’re going home but there is hope for the future.

Mat Ryan showed he is still a force to be reckoned with, but Joe Gauci going to Aston Villa will see him emerge as a serious contender for number one. All three centre backs were excellent. I think Ryan Strain will be first choice at RB going forward but Atkinson will keep him honest.

Aziz Behich had a pretty good game against South Korea but the future LB will be Jordy Bos or Jacob Farrell, who has become a genuine leader for the Mariners and will almost certainly be in Europe next season.

We have plenty of choice in midfield. Keanu Baccus had a fantastic game last night. O’Neill is a very decent player (when not getting red cards) and Irvine still does well in the bigger matches. His defence is strong but his passing lets him down.

Riley McGree struggled to get into the game when he came on but he’s an outstanding player and will be a regular over the next six years.

Goodwin showed again why he has been such a consistently good player for the Socceroos but I think the pressure of new players will take its toll on the minutes available to the likes of Boyle and Duke.

Kusini Yengi did well with limited opportunity and there are other attacking options in the wings – not least Arzani, Irankunda, Garang Kuol and the Toure brothers. I think we’ll see a quite different Socceroos by the end of the year.

So this year’s edition of the Asian Cup is over for the Socceroos, but they were beaten by an outstanding team and went within two minutes of winning themselves.

Good luck to South Korea. I suspect they have a very good chance of winning the whole thing.

 

Adrian's books can be purchased at any good bookstore or through ebook alchemy. His first sci-fi novel (Asparagus Grass) was published by Hague Publishing in July 2023. The ebook can be purchased here and the paperback can be ordered here or at your local store.