Well, what a night it’s been. The Socceroos are going to Russia. Thanks for joining me, and thanks to all those who wrote in. Cheerio.
Ange Postecoglou evades questions over his Socceroos future
Ange Postecoglou: “It’s overwhelming to be honest. We did it the hard way to be fair but we deserved it. I’m delighted for the players, the staff, the organisation.”
What was his halftime message? “Stay composed. We knew they’d be hard to break down. There was a lot at stake. They slowed the game down in the first half but I told the guys if we really believe in what we’re doing, and we’re resilient, we’ll eventually break most teams down.
“I’m proud. I think it’s important to stand for something. I said when I got the job that we weren’t going to take a backwards step. It hasn’t come without challenges but we’ve stuck to what we believe in.’
How does he feel personally? “It’s quite overwhelming. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done, this last four years. Having to go to the World Cup with a rookie squad, to take a group of players on a journey like they’ve never been on before.”
Finally, the BIG question... is he going to Russia with his team? “I’m going to enjoy tonight. I owe it to myself, I owe it to my beautiful wife, my boys, my friends and family – they’ve been on this journey too. I’ll sit down with the powers that be over the next few days and make a decision.”
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The Socceroos are lapping it up, as you’d expect. They’ve been to all corners of the world over the past two years to get to this point and they’ve copped a lot of stick at times. But they’ve emerged out the other side – and endured the tension of a play-off – to do what they set out to do. Over the two legs against Honduras Australia were the deserved winners. Honduras, tough and determined as they were, simply couldn’t match it with the Socceroos.
Wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the slogan, Time to Take On The World, Mark Milligan speaks: “This group has gone through a lot, to not qualifying automatically, to tough games against Syria. There has been a lot of talk before this but this group deserves everything they get.”
Mile Jedinak, man of the match: “It’s hard to describe. It’s unreal. We knew it would be a difficult qualification campaign but this makes it very special. To do it in front of our fans in such a do or die contest it’s ... look. we didn’t want it to happen this way [in a play-off], but it’s happened and we’re very grateful we’re going to another World Cup.”
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Mike Hytner, the Guardian’s man at Stadium Australia, has his report in. Enjoy.
After a fairly scrappy first half the Socceroos stormed home and their superiority showed. They were the braver of the two teams and their endeavour was rewarded with three second-half goals. Mooy and Rogic controlled the midfield, and Behich was a constant threat on the left flank. But it was left to the veteran defender Jedinak, who always remained on Postecoglou’s radar despite his injury woes earlier this year, to stick the ball in the net. His first had some help, but his two penalties were struck with a calmness that defied the occasion.
Australia are off to Russia, What does this mean now for Postecoglou? Surely he can’t call it quits now. We’ll find out soon enough.
Full-time: Australia 3-1 Honduras
Peeep! Peeeeeeeep! Australia are off to Russia. They booked their passage the hard way but right this minute who cares about that. The fireworks go off at Stadium Australia as the Australian players fall into each other’s arms.
GOAL! Australia 3-1 Honduras (Elis 93 min)
Honduras get on the board after a corner is punched by Ryan but only into the path of Hernandez. His header falls short but is helped in by Elis.
92 mins: Leckie cuts back for Kruse but it falls to Mooy who dinks a lovely ball to an unmarked Juric. His attempt at an audacious side-on volley fairly rockets... but just over the bar.
91 min: Honduras in their death throes, pumping long balls forward by reflex. We await the whistle.
89 mins: Martinez leathers the freekick into the wall.
88 min: It’s all over now, Australian football fans can relax. So can Mark Milligan. He’s being subbed off for James Troisi as Honduras stand over a free kick just outside the Aussie box. The Honduran bench players are in tears. Got to feel for them.
GOAL! Australia 3-0 Honduras (Jedinak 85)
Jedinak goes down the guts for what may be his hattrick. “May be”? The commentary team have suggested the fourth official has deemed Jedinak’s first goal an own goal.
Penalty to Australia!
Another one! Leckie sends a lovely long ball over the shoulder of Kruse who takes a touch and, from the penalty spot, cocks his right boot —only for Palacios to take him out from behind before he can strike.
84 min: Mooy takes a free kick wide on the right and it grazes the hair of Wright before Honduras clear - but only as fair as leckie. He send a looping header to Jurman who has crept towards the six-yard box. Jurman, like Wright, just can’t get his head on it with only Escobar to beat.
82 min: And sends the ball soaring out of play, failing to curl it into the far corner. Mat Ryan hasn’t made a save all night.
81 min: Mooy pushes up the left, runs into a dead-end, and the Aussies recycle the ball to Mat Ryan who sends Leckie for a gallop on the right.
Moments later Leckie is booked for a lazy foul on Elis. This is in a dangerous position, two metres outside the Aussie box, left of centre. Acosta steps up...
77 min: Rogic is replaced by Robbie Kruse. He’s had a fine game, Rogic. Postecoglou greets the departing Rogic warmly. He’s enjoying himself now, Postecoglou, which is good to see. He greeted Jedinak’s second goal with a raised fist before gazing into the heavens with as broad a smile as we’ve seen on his face for some time.
75 min: Honduras with a freekick 25m out, dead centre. Maynor Figueroa takes a run-up like Dennis Lillee in his heyday but his shot cannons off the wall.
74 min: Honduras with a change. Having come on the 42nd minute, Henry Figueroa is off, replaced by the attacker, Mario Martinez. The visitors have a lot of work to do now and they’ll risk conceding another in their push to get back into this one.
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GOAL! Australia 2-0 Honduras (Jedinak 72)
Jedinak, as cool as you like, steers his kick into the right corner. A perfect penalty and that’s two to the Aussie captain!
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Penalty to Australia!
71 min: Behich and Mooy combine to send Mooy to the byline. He cuts the ball back where Palacios sticks a boot out deflecting the ball into his teammate, Acosta. At first glance it appeared to strike Acosta’s right boot but it was his right hand, and the ref got that one right. Very unlucky for Acosta, who I don’t think intended to handle that one...
66 min: He’s put in a typically busy shift, one that almost garnered anther headed goal, but now Cahill is subbed off. Tomi Juric, who woulda, coulda, shoulda on Saturday, gets another chance.
62 min: Australia don’t seem content to sit back on this lead, which is good to see. The Aussies made a bad habit of conceding late equalisers in the group stages so perhaps they’ve decided that a second goal will be their best defence.
I’ve been distracted of late but here’s an email from Mike MacKenzie, writing in from London, Canada: “No doubt Aussies or Hondurans will be ecstatic should their team qualify and they’ll enjoy their country’s participation in the WC. But I still think that with 32 teams there will be way too many poor teams and matches. And with 8 groups of 4 I will be very surprised if more than one team that isn’t a favourite makes it to the round of 16. With FIFA wanting to expand to 40 or even 48 teams the WC will become even less of a spectacle.”
All good points, Mike, but a debate for another time.
60 min: Somewhere in the recent passage of play Behich copped a head knock. He looks a bit ginger but he’s back into the fray.
58 min: The free kick comes to nowt but moments later Rogic gallops down the left and sends a teasing first time cross towards Cahill who leaps like a spawning salmon to head onto the crossbar! The ball rebounds back into the field of play allowing Cahill another crack at it, and he and Escobar contest the dropping ball. Cahill seems to win it but just as he tries to create an angle for a shot the ref blows up, deeming Cahill to have fouled Escobar on the second attempt.
57 min: Another free kick to Australia in good position, this one from the left corner of the box after Behich was scythed down by Claros - who is given a yellow for his impression of a sickle.
55 min: That may be taken off Jedinak later... like he’ll care. It’s a priceless goal that ensures there will be no extra time tonight. Of course, should Honduras equalise before the 90th minute that will be enough to send them through.
GOAL! Australia 1-0 Honduras (Jedinak 54 min)
But Jedinak takes it, aiming for the inside of the far post. And it might have just snuck in had Figueroa not deflected the ball back inside and into the Honduran goal.
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52 min: But here’s Rogic weaving like a braid through the Honduran midfield. As he approaches the box he’s tackled from behind by Acosta. Mooy stands over the ball, 20 yards out...
51 min: Milligan is late to a dropping ball on the halfway line and he catches Figueroa who cries out dramatically. A clear foul.
49 min: Milligan frees Leckie on the right and it’s a reminder of how little ball he’s seen tonight. Most of the Aussie play has been directed towards Behich’s wing.
48 min: Early pressure from Australia results in Cahill attempting to hook a ball goalwards whilst sliding in the opposite direction. It’s cleared for a corner. Mooy takes it and it’s headed out for another corner. Despite the practice, Mooy sends this one way over the goal and out for a goal kick. I must say, Mooy’s deadball delivery has not been to his usual standard of late.
Peeeep!
46 min: Honduras kick off and immediately turn it over. I wonder what Jorge Pinto has in mind for his team. Honduras are showing little endeavour to push forward with any great numbers. A goal on the counter looks to be their main objective at the moment.
The players are making their way back onto the field. No changes to the Socceroos line-up at this stage. The current mob will get another crack at it, but the longer this goes on the sweatier everyone’s palms will get. At this stage we’re going to extra-time.
Half-time: Australia 0-0 Honduras
That’s oranges, folks. A scrappy encounter with only one clear chance, that one to Rogic in the 36th minute. Honduras are proving hard to breakdown.
45 + 2 mins: Honduras with their 13th foul of the match (to Australia’s five so far): Acosta on Milligan just inside the Honduas half. After the free kick Mooy raises a boot and catches Palacios... or at least seems to. The replay shows there was no contact. Doesn’t stop Mooy getting a yellow card.
44 min: A long ball to Elis on the Aussie byline sees him attempt to kick it over his own, and Behich’s head, and into the penalty area, but his endeavour doesn’t pay off.
42 min: A long ball forward by Mooy drops in the path of Jurman who’s first time cross from just inside the byline is deflected out for a corner.
Mooy takes it and it’s a wicked one, dropping on the penalty spot where Leckie, I think it was, can’t quite get a clear header on it. Rogic stretches for the rebound but, like Leckie, is evades him. Honduras were stretched there.
40 min: A minor delay here as Izaguirre is being treated for an ankle injury. I missed the cause of it but it becomes clear he’s not just having a kip. Six burly men carry him off the field as he clutches his face in his hands. Bad luck for him. Coming on in his stead is Carlos Sanchez.
39 mins: Milligan is fouled by Acosta from behind and as he falls he sends Palacios flying. Mooy takes the free from left of centre, 30 yards out. He chips it into the box but it’s not one of his better efforts.
36 min: Cahill is pinned inside the left corner flag but he nudges the ball between a couple of legs to a free Behich. The winger quickly finds Rogic in space in the area and he takes a first time shot with a swinging left boot ... that is saved by Escobar diving to his left. What a chance! The best so far. Rogic, it appeared to me, didn’t quite catch it cleanly.
32 min: Mooy takes a corner from the right and finds Jedinak on the penalty spot. He can’t get over the ball, however, and it loops towards the six-yard box. But here’s Bailey Wright on his lonesome heading back inside to Cahill whose eyes light up. But he jumps a tad early and can’t get his bonce on it. Ah, Wright was offside it seems.
31 min: There’s no coverage of this in Kathmandu it seems. What are they doing over there?! The news comes from my brother Niall, as it happens, who’s been thinking of this match from the heights. “Had a nice trip to Boudanath Stupa this morning and was deeply reflective of the Socceroos as I made my clockwise perambulations.”
30 min: Elis, who’s in everything, drives at two Socceroos with pace and almost comes out the other end, which would have put him in the Australian penalty area. The Australians have been warned.
29 min: This game has calmed somewhat from the frantic opening. Australia have had the better of things despite some rigorous defence but they’ve yet to create a shot on target. Honduras haven’t shown a lot more than muscle at this point.
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26 min: Hopefully Conor Cartwright and his fellow fans have made it to Stadium Australia. He wrote in earlier to say that “over 2,000 fans” were “stuck at central station after trains cancelled due to a fallen tree!” Wooden you know it, Conor. Tonight of all nights.
21 min: Jedinak rises for a header with his elbow raised and it catches Elis. Free kick.
Moments later, Lozano and Elis exchange a quick one-two on the edge of the Aussie box but Lozano is smothered as if with a duvet. Plenty of gold shirts back for that.
19 min: Figueroa chops down Cahill and earns himself a yellow. Cahill gets up rubbing his ankle but he’s okay. Mooy takes the free and curls it tantalisingly into the box but Honduras clears. But only as far as Mooy. You can see him weighing up a bender into the far post but he takes a touch first and is closed down.
18 min: Behich fields the ball on the left and whips in a good curling cross but before anything comes of it he’s called offside. Which he wasn’t.
17 min: It is willing out there:
There might be less than 11 finishing on the field for either side tonight #AUSvHON
— Richard Jeans (@Rich_Jeans) November 15, 2017
15 min: Palacios at it again, this time clattering into Rogic. No card, and Australia make nothing of the free kick from centre field.
13 min: Mooy has his heels clipped by Palacios and wins a free, taking it himself from wide on the left. It lacks height but the in-swinger beats everyone to force a save from Escobar who can only punch the ball into a packed penalty area. Honduras clear. Cahill’s was so close to getting a toe on that.
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11 min: Australia scoot upfield with Mooy riding a number of challenges before finding Rogic. He attempts to burst into open space but he overhits the pass to himself and is dispossessed. A sign, perhaps, that Australia may add some urgency into their attack tonight, and eschew the patient build up when the time calls for it.
10 min: Honduras work down the left where Quioto attempts a cut back and sends the ball looping onto the roof of the net.
7 min: Behich unsuccessfully tries to nutmeg Elis and the two then scrap for the ball with feeling. There’s plenty of tension out there as you’d expect.
After enjoying possession for a spell Sainsbury knocks a long ball to Behich on the left but he overhits it and it’s out for a throw.
4 min: Behich and Elis scrap for the ball and Behich gets away with a strenuous tug on the Honduran’s shirt.
2 min: Jurman extends a Gadget leg to retrieve a pass and sends Alberth Elis cartwheeling. Jurman’s studs were up and though he only got the ball he deserved the yellow.
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Peeeeep!
1 min: The Socceroos kick off, running right to left on my screen. The pitch, I should point out, looks pretty good from this vantage point. Certainly better than the peat bog they played on on Saturday.
A late challenge by Leckie sees referee Nestor Pitana from Argentina award the first free kick.
As you may have gathered, the teams are out and shaking hands. Australia in gold, with green socks, Honduras in white, with blue patches on the shoulders. Noice.
We’re all set to go. Good luck everyone.
In lieu of a link to the Australian national anthem, here’s something that seems fitting given the brilliant news that earlier today Australia voted resoundingly in favour of same-sex marriage; “an overwhelming vote for fairness” according to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull:
It’s a result far more significant than that of a football match (well, it will be if parliament does the right thing by the Australian voters) but let’s be greedy, and hope the Socceroos put the cherry on a cake of a day.
There’s was some talk that the Honduran national anthem might be greeted by boos tonight but, from the TV coverage at least, I can’t detect any boos, even a solitary one: a Boo Radley if you will.
Anyway, here’s what you’re missing, the Honduran national anthem:
If the Hondurans play as well as they sing the Socceroos will walk this in. Tin ears, the lot of them.
Word is that the game is a sellout. Sydneysiders, as you would have hoped, have come out in force. The first leg was played against a deafening soundtrack of vuvuzelas. Will this Sydney crowd try to unsettle the Hondurans with that dirge, True Blue? Or give em a dose of the Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi’s, a kind of verbal capsicum spray?
Patrick O’Brien writes in to ask... “Why does that lights goggles thingy picture remind me of Homer doing jury duty?
He then poses this interesting scenario. “Anyway, Milligan and Leckie to combine to open the scoring in the 23rd minute. Not sure at which end, mind.”
Martin Turnbull adds a plea that must be heard for the sake of our nerves: “Please, just please God, no penalties.”
Speaking of the Honduran coach:
Llevamos años trabajando, ha sido un proceso complejo, de altibajos, de sufrimiento y alegrias, nos quedan los últimos 90 minutos para lograr el objetivo por el que todos hemos luchado... ¡necesitamos toda la buena energía de los más de 8 millones de catrachos! 🇭🇳🇭🇳🇭🇳
— Jorge Luis Pinto A. (@JorgeLPintoA) November 15, 2017
Google translate spits this out:
“We have been working for years, it has been a complex process, of ups and downs, of suffering and joys, we have the last 90 minutes to achieve the goal for which we have all fought ... we need all the good energy of the more than 8 million catrachos!”
Replace the “8 million catrachos” with “25 million Aussies” and that quote could well have come from Ange Postecoglou.
So, Ange “Should I Stay Or Should I Go Now?” Postecoglou has made four changes to the team that performed so well on Saturday.
In comes Tim Cahill, charged no doubt with carrying Australia on his back once more, as well as Tom Rogic, Mark Milligan and Mat Leckie.
Tomi Juric, Massimo Luongo, Jackson Irvine and Josh Risdon make way; and you’d have to say Luongo and Irvine are especially unlucky considering they had very decent games last start.
For Honduras, Jorge Luis Pinto has also made four changes. Most notably, captain Maynor Figueroa and Alberth Elis are back in the side after missing the first leg due to suspensions.
Teams
Australia:
Australia, your @Socceroos team is in! #GoSocceroos #AUSvHON pic.twitter.com/H5237zp03T
— Caltex Socceroos (@Socceroos) November 15, 2017
Honduras:
XI inicial de #Honduras 🇭🇳
— FENAFUTH (@FenafuthOrg) November 15, 2017
🇦🇺 #AUSvHON 🇭🇳#HoyMásQueNunca pic.twitter.com/Jko6bYQfUX
Though I would not be surprised by any result, I will concede that Australia are favourites to win. As we’ve been reminded time and again, they have had the better preparation in the lead up. They flew home from Honduras in the business-class seats of a chartered plane that was equipped with massage tables and light-therapy glasses of such futuristic design that one might presume David Gallop sourced them with the help of flux capacitor and a DeLorean.
Honduras, meantime, arrived in Sydney a full 24-hrs later having journeyed here, if my recollections are correct, on a clapped-out bus that, though it had a TV and VHS machine, only had one movie to screen: Steven Seagal’s 1990 stinker Hard to Kill. It goes without saying, the Hondurans did not have light-therapy glasses. Oh the humanity!
Aussie sport scientists leading the way in recovery with Re-timer light therapy glasses https://t.co/oRREIbaEV9 via @watoday
— Stacy微琳 (@Stacyfoo87) November 13, 2017
This alone gives the Aussies the edge tonight, never mind the home ground advantage, nor the psychological boost the Socceroos must have gained from bossing Honduras in the first leg.
But can they make it count? Through their entire qualifying campaign the Socceroos have found a way to make life hard for themselves (to which end who’d really be surprised if Honduras scored an early goal to put some bats in the Aussie belfry?). Honduras, meantime, were good enough to beat Mexico a little over a month ago.
They are not here to play the fall guy.
This?
or this?
YES!
Israel ’69, South Korea ’73, Scotland ’85, Argentina ’93, Iran ’97, Uruguay ’01 and ’05. And now Honduras ’17.
It’s just like the old days, isn’t it? A cut-throat play-off for a World Cup berth. Some 90 bum-clenching minutes (at least) of football in which a poor collective performance, a slice of bad luck, a drop in concentration, the dagger-thrust of a late winner, or, Zeus forbid, a miscued penalty, could not only knock the Socceroos out of World Cup reckoning and Australian football fans into the doldrums but also wake from its dormancy yet another existential crisis in Australian football.
Brilliant, isn’t it? Makes you feel alive.
Evening, everyone, and thanks for joining me for tonight’s World Cup second-leg qualifier between Australia and Honduras. As you’re no doubt aware (but it behoves me to cross my t’s and dot my lower-case j’s) the first leg, held on Saturday morning AEDT in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, finished 0-0 despite a dominant performance by the Australians.
Indeed it was one of their best performances in recent times – marred though it was by the Socceroos’ continued inability to convert dominance into goals. (Well, ‘marred’ if you were backing the Australians, that is. Honduras fans tuning in to this blog – who would have been delighted with Australia’s missed chances on Saturday – will forgive me for playing to my main audience.)
Saturday’s result means that a win of any margin in Sydney tonight will send the victor to Russia for next year’s tournament. Due to the away goals rule, however, any score draw will see Honduras qualify at Australia’s expense. The remaining scenario, a 0-0 draw after extra-time, would send the game to penalties — a prospect most of us, I’d venture, would rather not have to endure.
As we await kick-off let me take this moment to remind you that your correspondence is welcome. So if you’ve a mind, drop me an email (paul.connolly@theguardian.com) or a Tweet (@PFConnolly). The F, in case you’re wondering, doesn’t stand for what might first come to mind. That being Fabio, I’d guess.
Anyway, I’m rambling. Start getting yourselves organised. Not long now.
Kick-off: 8pm AEDT
Paul will be here shortly. In the meantime, have a read of Kieran Pender’s preview on how a fractured Australian football landscape will momentarily unite for the national team’s most important game in a decade.
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