Monday’s match against Peru is the 22nd and final match in Australia’s long campaign to qualify to play in the Fifa World Cup in Qatar at the end of the year. If the Socceroos pull it off, it will be the fifth time in a row that they will be qualifying for the tournament.
In the post-match interview following the 2-1 victory against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Qatar on Wednesday, coach Graham Arnold said that while the team had shown a marked improvement, there was room for more.
“I was probably 50 per cent happy with our team. I think there is a lot of improvement in this time. If I asked all the players if they had a percentage of improvement in them, I think all of them would say ‘yes’, and that is what we are looking for. We need them all to play a better game against Peru,” Arnold said.
“My focus has been on our defence which has been sloppy in conceding goals. There was a lot of good play, we could have scored more goals (against UAE), but we need to tidy up defensively and (we need to work on) penetration for sure, and making those runs behind is something we will be working on.”
He said that the team had little time to work together after the long 18-month break during the pandemic.
“The Jordan game (which Australia won 2-1 on 2 June) was probably the first friendly we had in three years that is the way COVID has been, and the way qualifiers have been. There was an improvement after the Jordan game and I expect the same after this one.”
The coach said that he had focused on instilling Australian mental strength into the team.
“It is an old Aussie trait, the old Aussie DNA was ‘backs to the wall’. We liked that being the underdog, we liked people saying we have no chance and cannot achieve anything. That is the way it used to be. You know generations change in life, but that is what I have been driving into these boys. Sometimes you don’t play well, but you can still win by fighting and running and chasing and being aggressive and that also can be a success.”
He said defender Trent Sainsbury would not be playing against Peru and was on his way to Japan. He said he expected news that Adam Taggart, who had a knee injury, would be better in the coming days.
In Wednesday’s play off against the UAE, former South Melbourne youth player Ajdin Hrustic secured victory for the Socceroos in the 84th minute with a deflected shot on goal after the sides were deadlocked at 1-1 for much of the second half.
Jackson Irvine opened the scoring in the 53rd minute after he steered an accurate pass from Martin Boyle into the UAE goal.
Their opponents did not take long to respond. Four minutes later, Caio Canedo put his side back in contention.
Thanks to the victory over UAE, Australia have a date with Peru at 4am (AEST) on Tuesday, 14 June. The Peruvians finished fifth in South American qualifying and the winner of this knock out match joins Group D at the World Cup finals in November – a group that includes World Cup holders France, Denmark and Tunisia.
The Socceroos’ FIFA World-Cup Play-off match against Peru will be broadcast live on Channel 10 with live simulacasts on 10Play and Paramount+.
That stadium at which they will be playing, the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Doha will be the venue for six group matches and one round-of-16 match during the world cup starting in November. The stadium features an innovative cooling system for players and fans for games played in the hot months of the year.