As footballing pundits in England, Spain and Uruguay are lamenting and dissecting their country’s opening-round losses, Australia maintained a schooner or pint half-full approach on the back of the Socceroos' gutsy performance against Chile.
Tim Cahill celebrates his 33rd international goal, against Chile - he remains Australia's favourite Socceroo Photo: GETTY
Despite being 2-0 down 14 minutes into the contest, the new
version Socceroos fought on courageously to take the game up to their South
American opponents and earn the respect of many Chileans and Australians alike.
Outstanding performances by forward Mathew Leckie and
central defender Matthew Spiranovic showcased to the world the fact that Australia
possess the necessary football DNA required to perform at the highest level.
It was a signature header from Tim Cahill that delivered the
Australia
goal on the back of a delicious pinpoint cross from Ivan Franjic. The Socceroos
had many chances to equalise but left without a solitary point for their fine
display.
Rather than speak of the great effort shown by his players,
coach Ange Postecoglou saw it rather as a missed opportunity in the short
history of his young charges.
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The relentless weight and strength of the Chile attack proved too much as Australia
leaked a late added-time goal from winger Jean Beausejour.
Plenty has been spoken of the giant disparity in values
between the Socceroos and the star-studded squads of Spain
and Holland,
however the performance should raise their stock price by the end of the
tournament.
The newly appointed captain, Mile “Mike” Jedinak, led a
spirited comeback that supporters have became accustomed to over the years. The
assignment now gets even tougher after the one-sided Holland
demolition of Spain.
A serious question is whether Holland will rest on their laurels and take a
more conservative approach or sharpen the scalpel towards another clinical
attacking display against their much less fancied opponents. One important
statistic giving hope is that Australia
have never lost to Holland.
OK, so we have played Holland
only three times in friendlies, with one win and two draws, but, hey, we stick
to the power of positive thought.
It is this positive attitude adopted by a young team of
perennial underdogs that may just help them pull off one of the biggest upsets
in World Cup history. The match kicks off in the early hours Australia time,
but a cold morning and a high probability of a crushing defeat will never dim
the enthusiasm of fans keen to see their footballing heroes face a challenge.
Cahill is arguably the most popular and successful
Australian player and his trademark boxing celebration always entertains
despite sparking fear into fragile corner posts worldwide.
The main point of difference to the three preceding World
Cup campaigns is the high expectation for team success. Most base it on the
belief that, as Mark Twain wrote, “it is the size of the fight in the dog
rather than the size of the dog in the fight that counts”.
The physical style and heart displayed by the team against Chile has left
many feeling optimistic for a bright future under Postecoglou.
Given Australia
is not a footballing superpower, the country always punches above its weight in
terms of its FIFA world ranking.
This is clearly evidenced by its fourth successful World Cup
qualification to the final 32 and onto football’s ultimate stage.
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