Armchair fans win it for Australia
Australia 3 Qatar 1
Australia marched into the next round of the World Cup thanks to the loud and passionate "Armchair Aussies."
Pessimistic Pim played it safe last week against Iraq, got criticised by all the armchair fans back home, and saw his team lose 1-0.
Tonight he played a few attackers and the Aussies romped home 3-1.
So fire up and look forward to some fantastic football in the next group stage. Can't wait.
It was reasonably comfortable in hindsight. Brett Emerton scored in 19th minute, playing further forward he benefited from Brett Holman, Marco Bresciano and Harry Kewell's forward movement early on. Where was that last week?
And maybe Verbeek realised despite the stunning first half performance of Qatari striker Sebastian Quintano, that Iraq are a far superior time.
Hence Pim's decision to remove the ultra- defensive line-up which had included Chris Coyne.
Goals
Brett Emerton 2 and Harrry Kewell for Australia.
Missing next week, all suspended
Mark Scharzwer, David Carney and Luke Wilkshire.
Key Performances
Harry Kewell, Brett Holman, Marco Bresciano, Mark Scharzwer and Jade North stood out for me.
Concerns
Michael Beauchamp was exposed for pace too many times for my liking, and David Carney almost conceded an attackers penalty.
A solid performance, a more attacking line-up saw the Aussies qualify with a game to go.
Brett Emerton's energy further forward proved crucial. Last week Verbeek played him full-back to counter the pace of the Iraqi attack.
Clearly Pim felt Qatar were no Iraq. And his team selection reflected that.
Pim produced a team that scored three goals. An away win.
An that is no mean feat in International football.
So well done to the Armchair Aussies, bringing the points home for Australia.
And they are cheaper too! Who needs a national coach, Dutch or not?
4 comments:
very pleasing game.
but i`m still worried about pim.
he blinked when he saw the iraqi side. will he go cautious in the second round? i hope not. i hope his bosses (both the fans in australia and the FFA) are telling him about the type of footy they want from their NT.
cos its our team, isn`t it?
interesting to see emmo further forward, and putting the ball in the net.
ps. found a stream that said they were showing the game on the internet, but they didn`t play the game they advertised. they showed the second half of spain - sweden instead. bit of an armwrestle, but interesting to watch. most of spain`s midfield might not get a run in a pim team. they dribble too much. tongue firmly in cheek.
clayton
Hi Clayton
We did it! But now comes the interesting bit.
Pim will be well tested, but he may have a better idea of a team after 5 games or so together
Plus Kennedy, Neill Cahill even Chipperfield...dare I say Viduka could all strengthen the teams for the coming games
..even if only some rather than all.
But getting all the players for all the games in nigh on impossible and will make Pim a very cautious boy
We're thru that's the main thing.
keeps the interest and the money rolling. Surely we can reach 3rd place for a play-off minimum surely!
I resent that armchair reference. I was in bed asleep, as I don't have Foxtel nor a decent enough internet connection to watch the games. Or maybe Pim would just like an armchair during games?
we are definitely good enough to reach the 3rd place playoff.
hell, we are good enough to go through as asia`s top team ... if we perform to our potential.
but the exciting thing is we could get bundled out. someone`s gonna miss out. i think the uzbekis are gonna take one of the spots. so an established "heavyweight" is gonna miss out.
hopefully that 7 defender line up is put to bed and never seen again. doesn`t fit the team`s personality.
clayton
ps found a stream that was supposed to play oz v qatar, set the alarm, got up and watched ... spain v sweden. wish me luck in finding a stream for the next oz game.
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