Mateship and grit, Australia’s Qatar success has roots in qualifying & More Trending News
DOHA, Dec 1 (Reuters) – The spirit of mateship and never-say-die angle that Australia have ridden to the knockout phases of the World Cup was cast on an extended and rocky journey via qualification, once they have been typically doubted however at all times stored their eyes on the prize.
Australia’s unity and combating spirit have been very a lot in proof in the victories over Tunisia and Denmark which have earned the Socceroos consecutive World Cup wins for the primary time and a last-16 date with Argentina.
The Socceroos performed 20 matches in their qualifying marketing campaign with the biosecure hubs and lockdowns compounding the lengthy distances that Australian groups at all times must journey.
The outcome, coach Graham Arnold mentioned earlier than the Denmark match, was a squad who know one another and what was required of them very effectively.
“What we’ve gone through over the last four and a half years, we’ve gone through some difficult periods obviously, through the pandemic, and we’ve only played four games out of 20 at home,” he mentioned earlier than the Denmark recreation.
“The boys know what to do, they know what my expectations are,” he added.
After the Denmark win, Arnold mentioned he had additionally discovered loads about his gamers.
“We were probably the last team everyone thought would qualify but it shows (what you can achieve) when you walk on the pitch and have the right mentality, when it’s a war and you go out there and fight and chase and those things,” he mentioned.
“I know the mentally strong (players) and the ones that will die for the team and die for each other, so they’re the ones I back and they’re the ones that I know that are gonna get the job done.”
Australia have additionally turn out to be very acquainted with Qatar, having performed 5 matches in the nation in the 2 years earlier than the World Cup, together with the playoffs towards the United Arab Emirates and Peru that earned them their ticket to the finals.
That expertise gave Arnold a key perception on Wednesday when he noticed Denmark had chosen a group with tempo out extensive to chase balls behind the Australian defence.
“In Qatar, once that ball hits a pitch, and it’s a long ball, it skids and it flies straight through to the goalkeeper,” he mentioned.
“It’s always difficult for players or teams to play those balls in behind.”
Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, enhancing by Pritha Sarkar
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Mateship and grit, Australia’s Qatar success has roots in qualifying
Mateship and grit, Australia’s Qatar success has roots in qualifying
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Mateship and grit, Australia’s Qatar success has roots in qualifying