Here’s John Davidson’s match report. Thanks for reading.
Final thoughts
So much better from Australia, they looked a team compared with the rabble in Oslo. Much cleaner in possession, aggressive in midfield and some encouraging individual performances that raise a few selections questions (eg does it work better without Mooy? Is Josh Risdon the right-back? Is Mat Ryan’s spot safe?). Far from the finished article, but with Sainsbury and Jurman to come back, the signs are a whole lot brighter than a few days ago.
Colombia will be disappointed not to have put away a theoretically much inferior team. They came on strong in the second half, Borja made and missed a hatful of chances after coming on for Falcao, but anyone backing them as a dark horse for Russia will probably be thinking again after watching that.
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Full time: Australia 0-0 Colombia
Dramatic rearguard action in the last 10 minutes, but Australia will take an enormous amount from that result.
92 mins: Borja against the post again! Moreno swings in a great free-kick, and Borja gets a left foot on it, but can only find the same post again. Unlucky.
90 mins: Irvine comes on for Luongo, who has been outstanding.
89 mins: Three minutes of added time.
88 mins: Chaos in the box! Bodies everywhere as Colombia attack from the right, but Australia scramble it away for a corner. They are hanging on.
86 mins: Great save Vukovic! He was a bit unlucky to concede the pen, a little touch from Degenek taking the ball into a difficult area, but that save will give him a huge lift. Not the worst penalty you’ve ever seen, he got down low with a strong left hand.
Penalty saved!
Vukovic goes left and beats away Borja’s effort!
Penalty to Colombia!
84 mins: Vukovic brings down Borja as he chases a long ball.
82 mins: Yimmi Chara, another sub, looks good down the right, but his cross is way too high for Borja. Or anyone less than 3m tall.
81 mins: James Troisi is on for Rogic. And James is going off, replaced by Moreno.
80 mins: Against the post! Borja again! He has been a handful. Rose in the middle of the box and looped a header against the right-hand post with Vukovic stranded.
77 mins: James slips and bunts it straight into the wall.
76 mins: Milligan fouls Borja on the edge of the box, and this is dangerous. James?
72 mins: Kruse for Nabbout. Can’t say Nabbout has been too prominent, but he’s an option at least. Certainly happier out wide than in the middle, as he was against Norway.
71 mins: Robbie Kruse is imminent. Unless he just likes wearing a singlet on a cold night.
68 mins: Luongo almost scores a wonderful goal, weaving through the defence with lightning feet, but he can’t get his shot away from Ospina! He is class when he’s on.
Borja’s disallowed goal.
64 mins: Colombia have raised the tempo here and definitely look the more likely scorers. Socceroos getting stretched.
63 mins: Amazing miss by Borja! Brilliant cross from the left and he steams in on the six-yard box and heads wide with the goal gaping. Australia were opening right up there.
62 mins: Cahill is on for Juric.
61 mins: Vukovic! Bacca gets away from Risdon down the left and crosses for James, whose header is beaten away by the debutant. He’ll feel good for that.
60 mins: Mina goes up against Leckie in one of those childish not-quite-headbutting displays. Some feeling in this game – Leckie is annoying everyone.
58 mins: Rogic free-kick into a good area is put behind by Mina for a corner, with no Socceroos nearby. From the corner Leckie has a decent chance but his header is ... not good.
57 mins: Another bad loss of possession, this time by Milligan, gives James a sight of goal, but he shoots comfortably over.
55 mins: Now Borja misses a glaring chance after being put through by a more direct ball, though he’s given offside again.
54 mins: Disallowed goal! Borja sticks it away brilliantly but Bacca, who crossed from the left, was offside. That all came from a bad giveaway by Jedinak.
50 mins: Murillo in some trouble after going down with what looks like a hamstring. He’s going to be replaced by Yerry Mina, the young Barcelona defender.
48 mins: Borja gets in a tangle with Degenek and Behich near the goalline and reacts angrily. Bobby Madley calms it down. Corner to Colombia leads to a chance for Borja to put in an acrobatic overhead that goes just over the bar!
47 mins: Good try Nabbout! Lovely work from Rogic again sets up the Jets man but his shot goes wide.
45 mins: Australia win a corner after Juric’s neat flick nearly lets in Rogic. Luongo’s delivery is not great this time.
Second half
Danny Vukovic is on for his international debut, on his birthday. No other changes for Australia, but Colombia are bringing on Borja and Lerma for Falcao and Aguilar.
Can’t argue with this:
Far better, Australia in that first half against a quality side. A dramatic improvement defensively. Looked organised, structured. Luongo the @Socceroos best, clearly. Been in great form for @QPRFC. Playing with plenty confidence. #COLvAUS
— Daniel Garb (@DanielGarb) March 27, 2018
Andy Harper makes the point that Australia do much better against a team that wants to keep the ball, but struggle so badly against a more direct approach, regardless of quality. They can probably safely assume Colombia won’t resort to lumping it forward today.
Half time 0-0
Australia will be hugely encouraged by that half. Without creating many chances they have looked much brighter than against Norway. James and Falcao have been quiet for the most part, with all Colombia’s best moments coming through Mojica on the left. But all square is a fair reflection so far.
42 mins: Great ball releases Mojica yet again, but his cross is cleared by Degenek and at the end of an Australian counter Juric has a strong effort from a tight angle that goes just wide. Good effort!
41 mins: Rogic finds Juric in the middle, who tries to release Leckie, but it’s too far and Ospina collects.
39 mins: Space opens up for James, but his right-foot shot is easily covered by Jones.
37 mins: Luongo is showing something that Mooy and certainly Jedinak don’t have, the ability to go past people and open up defences with a dribble rather than a pass. Promising stuff from him.
36 mins: Australia’s best passage so far, involving Luongo and Behich, ends in a corner. Great delivery and Leckie can’t keep his header down!
33 min: James puts it wide after a good cross from Mojica, then blasts the ball back into the crowd in frustration and gets a bake from his own fans for it.
32 min: Free kick for Australia on the left after Uribe brings down Luongo. Luongo swings it in, but Colombia clear.
30 min: Tomi Juric takes a head knock, and that means Tim Cahill gets a run up the touchline. But he looks OK.
28 min: The decibels go up as James stands over a free kick, but he sweeps it wide for Mojica on the left, whose dangerous looking cross is put behind for a goal kick.
27 min: Leckie bites in on Mojica again. He’s not making himself popular with the Colombian fans.
24 mins: Chance for Bacca as the ball bounces around in the area, but Australia clear comfortably enough in the end.
20 min: Leckie penalised for a foul on Barrios. Not much end product so far, but Leckie is already a lot busier than against Norway.
18 min: Good pressure from the Socceroos after Ospina makes a bit of a meal of a high ball. Much more positive signs here.
16 min: Behich makes great ground down the left, and when his cross is cleared poorly Luongo’s feeble shot is deflected wide. Nothing from the corner. Good moment for Behich though.
14 min: Lovely play from Luongo in midfield eventually comes to nothing. Losing Mooy at least gives him the chance to stake his claim and so far he’s looked bright in moments.
11 min: Falcao released down the right into a dangerous space, but he can’t pull his cross back far enough to elude Jones, who falls on it gratefully. How nervous must Jones be - hasn’t played for the national team since that Ecuador game.
8 min: Degenek gives it away and Leckie does well to close down Mojica on the left.
6 min: James tries to release Carlos Bacca with a long ball, but it’s overhit. James was everywhere against France, it’s hard to imagine the Socceroos keeping him quiet all night.
5 min: Colombia inches away! Uribe beats Brad Jones to the header after a cross from James on the right, but puts it just past the post. That should have been the opener.
4 min: Very quiet opening, and Australia will not mind that at all.
Kick off
A really healthy crowd in at a chilly Craven Cottage, and we’re off.
The last time Australia played South American opposition at Craven Cottage and switched their goalkeepers, in March 2014, they went 3-0 up against Ecuador, but ended up losing 4-3. Pretty sure they would settle for that again.
Brilliant atmosphere at Craven Cottage, save for the vuvuzelas. Loads of Colombian fans. Should be a great test for the @Socceroos. #COLvAUS pic.twitter.com/nNkUHxmJxa
— Matt Dorman (@Matt11Dorman) March 27, 2018
Van Marwijk was just asked why he’d kept Milligan and Degenek at the centre of the defence after their very uncertain performance against Norway. “We don’t have a lot of possibilities.”
Colombia have also shuffled five from the game against France, but James Rodriguez and Radamel Falcao both start.
So Australia without Aaron Mooy, who has a minor injury, that’s a big blow. They show five changes from the team that started against Norway, with Brad Jones in goal (Danny Vukovic will come on later). That means a start for Mass Luongo, and Josh Risdon, Tomi Juric and Tom Rogic all come in, replacing Bailey Wright, Dimi Petratos and Jackson Irvine.
The teams
Pretty strong @FCFSeleccionCol side, with James Rodriguez and Radamel Falcao both starting. Personally looking forward to seeing Johan Mojica in the flesh. Having a great season with Girona. #COLvAUS pic.twitter.com/ojUCJT43Iy
— Ryan Benson (@RyanRyanBenson) March 27, 2018
(It’s not a piano accordion, more of a giant cheese grater. Anyway.)
Luckily the Colombian fans haven’t forgotten the piano accordion.
Some team news:
Falcao, Rodriguez, Zapata and Ospina all starting for Colombia against the Socceroos #AUSvCOL
— John Davidson (@johnnyddavidson) March 27, 2018
Why are Australia playing Colombia? Because Peru are in their World Cup group, and Colombia is very near Peru, just as Norway is around the corner from Denmark, also in the group. Michael Cox of zonalmarking.net has a handy run-down of how many other countries subscribe to this barely scientific theory of preparation. Colombia face Poland, Senegal and Japan in Russia, so geographically this game will be all but useless for them.
Preamble
Australia have been looking on the bright side since their really terrible 4-1 defeat against Norway on Friday. “Sometimes these losses can be beneficial,” said new coach Bert van Marwijk. Striker Tomi Juric believed there were “some positives to take out of it”. And Jackson Irvine said: “The good news is it can only get better.”
Unfortunately, none of these things is really true. Few teams look better equipped to inflict further pain on the Socceroos than Colombia, after their highly impressive 3-2 win against France in Paris on the same day. The contrast could hardly be greater. Few current international coaches have been in place as long as José Pékerman – the Argentine was appointed in 2012 – and he oversees a stable team, full of confidence. Van Marwijk goes into his second game in charge trying to engineer a rapid transition in style with a shell-shocked squad.
With only two more friendlies to come before the World Cup, he needs to show immediate improvement. Van Marwijk has talked about how both players and coaches need pressure to perform. He’s got it.
Kick off: 8pm London (6am AEDT, 2pm Colombia)
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