Summary
It arrived very very late but Australia deserved their equaliser after playing their part in an entertaining game.
It was a performance that didn’t reveal much that Graham Arnold didn’t already know though, especially up front where Jamie Maclaren failed to assert himself on the game and Robbie Kruse was again a shadow of the player we see at club level. In general, the combinations in midfield and attack lacked cohesion despite promising moments.
Highlights included Josh Risdon, who caught the eye with a barnstorming performance from right fullback, and Mat Ryan who made one incredible save. Awer Mabil made an impact off the bench and Martin Boyle showed enough in his brief cameo to suggest he is worth persevering with.
Otherwise it was a familiar tale with Tom Rogic looking a class above at times but lacking an end product, and Aaron Mooy growing into the game late, but both failing to convince as a balanced partnership in the same midfield.
Australia’s intent was positive, especially early in the first half and late in the game, reflecting Arnold’s ability to communicate his strategy and the culture among the group to continue fighting until the final whistle. The Socceroos remain a work in progress ahead of the Asian Cup though.
The next step in that preparation is Tuesday night’s friendly against Lebanon - AKA the Tim Cahill testimonial. I’ll be here to do this all again - see you then.
Updated
Australia 1-1 South Korea
What a finish! Australia pinch a draw with the final kick of the match.
Updated
GOAL! Australia 1-1 South Korea (Luongo 90+4) mins
It’s poor from Mooy, as many of his set-pieces have been, but Australia force a repeat effort. This is better form Mooy, it forces a scramble that ends with Rogic shooting from the edge of the box, Kim fumbles, and then a pack of gold shirts set upon him and the ball ends up in the net! VAR has a check for offside and misdemeanours, but finds nothing.
GOOOAAALL! Mass Luongo scores a 94th minute equaliser 😎
— Caltex Socceroos (@Socceroos) November 17, 2018
🎥: @FoxFOOTBALL #AUSvKOR #GoSocceroos pic.twitter.com/7lQgTF7VUb
Updated
90 + 3mins: Corner, with 30 seconds remaining...
90+2 mins: A nice move down the right featuring Mooy, Risdon and Boyle comes to nought. A throw-in and a Korean substitution milk the clock.
90 mins: Just three minutes of time to be added on.
89 mins: Another yellow card, this time for Boyle. It looked potentially nasty at first, swinging his arm back to defend his space while in possession, but replays show it was far from malicious. From the free-kick the big inswinger almost seals the deal but the ball bounces across Australia’s six-yard box and out to safety.
88 mins: A reflection of that willingness is a well-earned yellow card for Milligan. He could have received one much earlier but the Japanese referee couldn’t turn a blind eye to a forceful bodycheck.
86 mins: Juric should do better immediately after coming on but despite time and space can’t find Boyle on his outside.
85 mins: It’s as though my Mooy-Rogic comment has been a catalyst for the two to figure out telepathy. Another lovely combination almost creates an opening.
Juric on for Leckie as Arnold searches for an equaliser. It reflects the willingness of this contest late in the game, both teams still putting in a proper shift.
84 mins: The corner doesn’t do any damage but Australia do well with the second and third phase balls, Leckie and Mabil prominent until Boyle has a header claimed safely by Kim.
Updated
83 mins: First look at Boyle in flight and he’s impressive, cutting in from the right, carrying the ball at pace before letting fly when nothing else presented itself. The shot was blocked but Behich picked up the pieces to earn a corner.
81 mins: After a long spell of Australian pressure, Korean send a hopeful ball forward and it earns them a corner. Plenty of time is used up taking it, and making a substitution. When it’s finally lobbed into the box Suk Hyun-Jun heads over under pressure.
79 mins: Maybe there’s hope for that combination after all! More brilliance from Mooy, picking out Rogic in traffic, and his dink is almost ideal for Mabil but the substitute is crowded out just as he’s about to pull the trigger.
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77 mins: Risdon, one of Australia’s best, again looks as threatening as any attacker, slaloming in from the right, but he can’t find the killer pass. Again Mooy is involved in the move. Curiously, as he has grown into the game, Rogic has receded. Can that combination ever be resolved?
76 mins: Behich tries his luck from downtown with the keeper off his line but Kim does well to backpedal and gather smartly.
75 mins: Mabil has been lively since he came and Mooy has grown as the game has worn on. Both combine down the left to feed Behich to cross to the far post and Leckie does well to contest the header but it glances wide of the upright.
74 mins: Australia have done their best to raise the intensity in the past 10-15 minutes but there’s a lack of quality and cohesion. Korea look getable at times but quickly regain their composure and reset the tempo.
72 mins: Boyle replaces the ineffective Maclaren.
Top drawer that from Matt Ryan. Brilliant save. #AUSvKOR #GoSocceroos pic.twitter.com/5wokA3qaKr
— Simon Smale (@simon_smale) November 17, 2018
Updated
70 mins: Martin Boyle will have his first run-out in gold very soon. Not before Korea take a free-kick in shooting range. WOW! What a save from Mat Ryan. Flying high to his right to claw the ball away after a brilliant free-kick from Ju Se-Jong.
Tonight's attendance: 32,922.
— Caltex Socceroos (@Socceroos) November 17, 2018
Thanks for your support, Brisbane!#AUSvKOR #ANewDawnRises #GoSocceroos pic.twitter.com/i8dmNvcA5O
67 mins: Momentum starting to build for Australia now with attacks increasing in frequency. Mabil has been influential, making himself a nuisance in the final third, keeping Korea honest until Luongo flashes wide of the post.
63 mins: Better for Australia. Possession is slow but recycled well thanks to Luongo. Eventually Mooy has a drive from distance but it’s straight at Kim.
62 mins: Tasty looking free-kick from Hwang In-Beom has Ryan diving across to his left but the knickle-ball floats just wide of the post.
61 mins: Kore continue to control general play, despite these sporadic Australian forays. Eventually their pressure tells with Mabil upending Hwang In-Beom just outside the penalty area in a decent free-kick opportunity.
58 mins: Risdon is playing like Cafu down the right. This time he steps inside, jinking beyond challenges then feeding Rogic superbly inside the penalty area but the Celtic man can’t clear the ball from his feet quickly enough and ends up awkwardly stabbing wide when a much clearer goalscoring opportunity looked on.
56 mins: First change for Australia and it’s Mabil for Kruse. The latter was once again industrious but underwhelming.
54 mins: Much much better from Australia. Risdon does superbly down the right and feeds Kruse down the channel but he was unnecessarily a couple of yards offside and the momentum of a very promising move is halted.
52 mins: They got lucky there though, Leckie accepting the turnover and trying to feed Rogic straight away but the sliding interception did just enough to inch the ball out of his reach.
51 mins: Finally a decent move in midfield but it ends tamely. Korea are bossing this contest now, passing the ball smoothly, finding space, taking the sting out od any half-time rev up Australia might have received.
50 mins: Australia still haven’t strung more than a couple of passes together this half.
48 mins: All Korea so far in this second period. A corner causes a few flutters in the Australian defence and a couple of balls down the channels force pretty rudimentary clearances but no chances materialise. Awer Mabil is being readied for his appearance by Rene Meulensteen.
46 min: Sloppy start from Australia, conceding a cheap turnover playing the ball out of defence. Not the response Graham Arnold was hoping for.
Second half almost upon us at at soggy but far from waterlogged Suncorp Stadium. Doesn’t look like Arnie has made any subs.
Plenty of promising moments in that half for Australia but a familiar lack of cutting edge is once again their undoing. Rogic and Leckie in particular have been busy in the final third but it often looks isolated rather than strategic. Kruse has once again lacked polish while Maclaren has been largely anonymous. Both fullbacks have impressed bombing up and down the flanks. Mooy’s set-pieces have been disappointing.
Half-Time: Australia 0-1 South Korea
A half of two halves, as the old saying doesn’t go. Australia dominated early but couldn’t find a clear goalscoring opportunity. South Korea took the lead with a hopeful long ball and from thereon looked comfortable. Plenty for Graham Arnold to ponder at the break.
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45+1 min: Another Korean down, this time the goalscorer Hwang, who landed awkwardly on the Suncorp Stadium turf after an aerial duel with Sainsbury.
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44 mins: A bit of a break in play with Koo Ja-Cheol substituted with what looks like a hamstring strain. Se-Jong Ju comes on in his place.
42 min: The latest in a half full of mediocre shots from the edge of the box sees Rogic curl straight at Kim when he had better options ahead of him.
40 min: A rare high turnover for Australia ends in a snapshot from distance from Leckie but it’s straight at Kim. Before that Kruse almost wriggled through on the edge of the box but Korea are making a habit of old-fashioned block tackles at the right moment.
38 min: Chul Hong receives the night’s first yellow card. Sainsbury, who has been hit and miss, restarts play with a shocking free-kick.
37 mins: Now Korea have adapted their gameplan Australia have been forced to rethink and they look far less comfortable dominating possession than hitting at pace in transition. One promising move involving a host of passes threatens to disprove the logic but Behich was robbed before he had an opportunity to cross.
35 mins: Inevitably attention turns to players looking to cement their places and despite a bright start Jamie Maclaren has been largely anonymous. He has yet to convert his club form to the international stage.
33 mins: Korea have settled since their goal and look much more assured checking and intercepting Australia’s attempted runs between the lines, as well as releasing their own attacks early rather than dwelling in possession and inviting the Socceroos forwards to pick their pockets.
Updated
31 mins: Another early long ball almost catches Australia out but Hwang’s first touch is fractionally off this time and the Socceroos escape.
30 mins: Rogic is doing his best to drive Australia forward, accepting responsibility at every opportunity, but at times it feels a bit helter-skelter and lacking finesse. In transition it looks dangerous and direct but in more considered play it feels a bit aimless.
28 min: Korea’s turn to profit from a turnover in midfield but Sainsbury is alert this time to repel the danger.
25 mins: It takes Australia a couple of minutes to regain their composure but a nice run down the right from Leckie sets up another Mooy corner. This time it’s played to Rogic in space outside the box and his curling effort is punched clear by the Korean keeper.
Updated
GOAL! Australia 0-1 South Korea (Hwang, 22)
Would you believe it? There’s only been one team in it so far but they’re a goal down courtesy of a classic smash-and-grab raid. Nothing was happening while Korea passed the ball around their back four but then a long ball over the top caught Sainsbury flat-footed and Hwang took full advantage, skipping towards goal and sliding the ball expertly beyond Ryan.
[GOAL] 대한민국 🇰🇷 1-0 🇦🇺 호주
— 대한축구협회(KFA) (@theKFA) November 17, 2018
황의조입니다! 역시, 대한민국의 스트라이커
단번의 경기의 흐름을 바꿉니다!
.#대한민국 #축구 #국가대표팀 #호주전 pic.twitter.com/aSuCObj6AE
Updated
20 min: Behich goes from provider to shooter with a placed right-foot shot from the edge of the box that is saved comfortably. The opportunity was created by a darting run from Kruse.
18 min: Mooy should score. Superb build-up engineers space for Rogic in the centre of the park, his vision picks out Behich in acres down the left and the fullback does well to chip a cross into the run of Mooy but he laces a volley over the top when he could have taken more care to hit the target.
It’s noticeable how ambitious Australia are being in possession. They are looking to play key passes and play forward at every opportunity, not accepting possession for possession’s sake. It’s great to watch.
Updated
16 min: Some nice footwork from Ryan alleviates some pressure but it’s representative of a scrappy couple of minutes for Australia with Korea starting to grow into the contest.
14 min: “Evening Jonathan,” evening Phil Withall. “Not sure if it’s because the Koreans are struggling to adjust to a new coach or not but they do seem to be slightly disjointed in these opening stages. I suppose the rain isn’t assisting them but they’ve been disappointing so far.” They have, but I would credit Australia for that, they’ve not allowed them any time to settle and you get the impression they expected a gentle five-ten minute sighter to get their barings
12 min: Australia continue to dominate, robbing Korea of possession quickly and feeding the ball-players in midfield who are having a field day - Rogic in particular. A golden opportunity has yet to be fashioned but the movement in the channels and the ability for players to find space between lines has been impressive.
11 min: Korea want to play a controlled possession game and build from the back but Australia are refusing to allow them to settle. The Socceroos are playing with an unsociable intensity for a friendly. The rain has intensified and the pitch is just starting to show some wear and tear.
9 min: Australia keep coming though, linking up nicely in midfield before Rogic’s snapshot from range skims off a Korean shirt and behind for a corner. Mooy’s deliveries have yet to hit their targets.
7 min: It’s been a very transitional game so far with Rogic prominent, accepting possession with his back to goal and keeping the Socceroos moving. One such diagonal ball from right to left is overhit but it skips off the wet turf to cause mayhem in the Korean defence but they eventually clear.
5 mins: Australia are industrious early, especially in the front third with Leckie, Kruse and Rogic asserting a strong press. A couple of turnovers result, first with Leckie feeding Kruse who fires awfully wide from just inside the box, but he keeps his head from the following phase to feed the overlapping Risdon down the right and his shot is deflected wide for a corner. Australia going forward with purpose in these early stages.
3 min: Australia counterattack at pace from that clearance with Maclaren busy and Rogic tricky before the latter blazes over from the edge of the box.
2 min: Looks like Mooy is going to sit alongside Luongo as a six (or eight) with Rogic floating ahead as a ten. The Huddersfield man heads clear the first moment of danger after Korea built well down the right.
Peeeeeeeeeppppppp!
Underway at Suncorp Stadium.
Jumpei Iida from Japan is your referee for the night.
The teams are out for the anthems. Australia are top to toe in gold (unlike the Matildas in their much better green shorts). South Korea are wearing red (verging on magenta) shirts, blue shorts and red socks.
Awer Mabil is ahead of Boyle in the queue for that role at the moment, and the young winger recently opened up about his incredible journey after making a goalscoring debut in green and gold.
Tonight is an audition for the players looking to replace Daniel Arzani as Australia’s impact sub. Of the candidates Martin Boyle is easily the most intriguing with the 25-year old set to debut tonight, just five days after arriving in the country for the first time.
One of those new leaders, Matthew Leckie, spoke to Robert Kidd recently with the Socceroo opening up about life under the new gaffer.
“Arnie wants the two wingers to be pretty much more narrow strikers,” Leckie says. “Obviously in the game you’re not necessarily always in the middle, you can rotate or move out [to the wing]. It’s different to playing [for Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin] or our prior style with the national team but I think it can be dangerous as well. And if it’s not working in the game we definitely have the players to change it.
Culture, leadership and principles of play were the buzzwords and phrases from a quick prematch interview with Graham Arnold. On that, I’m a little surprised Arnold hasn’t dipped more into his Sydney FC squad to fast-track this process, especially with the retirements of Tim Cahill and Mile Jedinak, senior pros who would be leaned on to help integrate a new playing style and ethos.
As mentioned, tonight’s match is played against the backdrop of Monday’s AGM which will confirm the latest revolution in Australian football. We live in interesting times.
Better than me waffling on about tonight’s game, enjoy a lovely helping of Squires.
South Korea XI
벤투호 첫 원정, 플랜B가 아닌 팀 BENTO로 출격 완료
— 대한축구협회(KFA) (@theKFA) November 17, 2018
호주전, 🇰🇷남자 축구대표팀의 선발라인업을 공개합니다!
.
✔11월 호주 원정 A매치
🇰🇷 vs. 🇦🇺 #호주 11.17(토) 17:50 📺 KBS2, NAVER
⏰ 한국시간 기준 pic.twitter.com/7fP3N006zz
Australia XI
All business tonight for Graham Arnold who has named a powerful, attack-minded first-choice XI.
STARTING XI | This is how we line up in Brisbane tonight.
— Caltex Socceroos (@Socceroos) November 17, 2018
📺: Watch #AUSvKOR live on Fox Sports 503, Channel 10, or via the My Football Live app.#GoSocceroos #ANewDawnRises pic.twitter.com/U2dDAl1zZf
There are two changes to the side that romped past Kuwait and both deserve scrutiny. Aaron Mooy replaces Jackson Irvine in midfield, meaning all three of Luongo, Rogic and Mooy will start together in a unit that begs to be selected but remains to be proven as an effective blend of talents. While up front Jamie Maclaren has a huge opportunity to stake his claim for the regular number 9 jersey. He’s in for Apostolos Giannou.
Elsewhere, the back four and goalkeeper combination remains settled with Kruse and Leckie still assured of their places on the flanks.
Let’s get this out of the way early - tonight is going to be wet. Very wet. Possibly even too wet, who knows? I’ll keep you posted.
Severe storms are occurring over #SEQld, currently located around #Esk, #Kilcoy and #Gleneagle. These storms will continue to shift N/NE. Storms over NE NSW should shift into the #SoutheastCoast later this afternoon and evening. Stay tuned to warnings: https://t.co/vthozI0KIQ pic.twitter.com/VoQX8Rxj4i
— Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland (@BOM_Qld) November 17, 2018
Before we wade into the big issues of the night, let’s just pause for a moment, grin, and recall this happened 13-years ago yesterday.
Try watching this without getting goosebumps. pic.twitter.com/mCvNO5kz2P
— Caltex Socceroos (@Socceroos) November 16, 2018
A milestone tonight for Mark Milligan who has been announced as Australia’s permanent skipper. Milligan is the longest-serving squad member and after occupying a number of positions throughout his international career finally appears settled in the heart of defence.
“We have had many great leaders over the years, who I both played alongside and admired as I grew up watching the national team,” Milligan said. “It is a huge honour to be joining them and I look forward to fulfilling the role with the support of our leadership group.”
Unsurprisingly, Milligan had the backing of the man who gave him the job. “As we embark on a new era we look to leaders like Mark,” Arnold said. “Mark has been a part of the national team for 12 years now. The experience gained over that period is invaluable to our squad and his leadership on and off the park shines through every day.”
Updated
The Dawning of a New Era
Good evening and welcome to live coverage of Australia vs South Korea from Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. Graham Arnold’s first match in charge of the Socceroos on Australian soil (this time around) gets underway at 6.50pm local time, 7.50pm AEST (8.50am GMT).
The Arnie era began positively a month ago with a comfortable 4-0 victory in Kuwait. A much stiffer test can be expected tonight against regional powerhouses South Korea. This is the penultimate match before January’s Asian Cup defence which makes the friendly a balancing act for Arnold who will want to both hone his preferred XI and make sure he’s cast his eye on as much talent as possible.
On the evidence of the Kuwait game - and a successful spell in charge of Sydney FC - Arnold’s tactical approach is unlikely to surprise. What remains to be seen is which individuals and combinations he favours. For example, the lone striker role remains up for grabs, and the quandry of how to fit so many talented central midfielders into one line-up hasn’t disappeared. Unfortunately Arnold will have to do without his most exciting prospect with Daniel Arzani ruled out for the rest of the season after suffering a serious knee injury playing for Celtic.
Tonight’s match arrives on the eve of the Football Federation Australia AGM, the first of the post-Lowy era. Added to Tuesday’s farewell fixture for Tim Cahill, there is a changing of the guard in Australian football. This provides enormous opportunities for the game to renew and refocus. It also means uncertainty, especially if this transitional period for administration and national team gets off to a rocky start. In that context, there might be more than usual riding on the result of what might otherwise appear a bit of a space-filling exercise.
As always, if you want to join in, please do so. Feel free to share your thoughts on the AGM, expectations for Arnie, life after Cahill, or whatever. Correspondence via Twitter (@JPHowcroft) makes life easy for me. Emails to jonathan.howcroft.freelance@theguardian.com also work.
