Australia will have to get past Syria and a further play-off if they are to reach the 2018 World Cup finals after missing out on automatic qualification on a night of drama and tension across seven timezones and 13,000km.
Australia’s 2-1 win over Thailand in Melbourne meant Saudi Arabia needed only a win against Japan seven hours later to move above the Socceroos in group B of Asian qualifying and go through to next year’s finals in Russia on goal difference.
Substitute Fahad al-Muwallad’s right-foot shot after 62 minutes secured a 1-0 win for the Saudis that leaves Australia having to go the long way round.
They will now meet the Syrians, who have played their qualifying games in Malaysia due to the civil war in their country, over two legs. The winner of that tie then faces the fourth-placed team from central and North America – which will be Panama, Honduras or perhaps even the US – for the last spot at the finals.
Australia’s fraught and fractious campaign has left coach Ange Postecoglou under some scrutiny, including pointed comments by two former Socceroos Mark Bosnich and Robbie Slater. Bosnich was critical of Postecoglou’s 3-2-4-1 formation, arguing that Australia’s head coach had used the national team as an “experimental laboratory”.
“It’s too important for that,” the former Aston Villa and Manchester United goalkeeper told Fox Sports. “We are strapped for cash and this game in this country needs us to qualify for the World Cup all the time. At the moment, he’s hanging by a thread in my opinion. There should be serious consideration given to the fact [that] we need a different voice because those players, regardless of what they’re saying publicly, aren’t responding like they used to.”
Slater was less diplomatic, taking to Twitter to argue that the Socceroos “need saving”. “We need a new approach! The Socceroos have lost there [sic] way! Enough bullshit! It’s a mess and the players think we are against them! Who told them that I wonder! Toxic crap for me!”
Despite the criticism, chief executive of Football Federation Australia David Gallop endorsed Postecoglou. “We are fully behind Ange,” he told Australian Associated Press. “While it was a frustrating night with so many close chances, we are focusing on assisting Ange and the staff in preparation for the critical play-off games.”
Gallop acknowledged that qualifying for the World Cup would now be difficult, but said the Australian team was “used to travel and tackling the logistical issues of playing away. We will now knuckle down to ensure that qualifying is as smooth as possible.”
Postecoglou also acknowledged that the Socceroos’ journey to Russia was now “a more difficult road”.
“We’ve just got to switch our minds to getting prepared ... we’ll get info on the opposition, get organised logistically and hit the ground running.”
Postecoglou admitted he aware of the personal criticism directed towards him, but said he “won’t waste time responding to it.” “I’m not everyone cup of tea. [But] what do you do? I took the role to do it a certain way and I’ll see it through.”
Postecoglou was left to lament a narrow victory against the Thais, despite a dominant showing by the Australians, which left the Socceroos leaving the field in Melbourne looking more like the defeated side. Needing a big bag of goals to put the pressure on the Saudis, Australia suffered a horrendously frustrating night, dominating possession and chances against the Thais, but failing to find the target until late in the second half. “If there was a more one-sided contest, I don’t think I’ve ever seen it,” said Postecoglou. “Forty-five shots; 20-odd inside the box, three posts; one cleared off the line. The goalkeeper’s pulled off some great saves. Usually when the evidence is so overwhelming, you get the rewards. Tonight we didn’t.”
Here it is. Syria's Omar al Somah scores in the 93rd minute in Tehran to put Syria through to World Cup qualifier playoff. Unbelievable. pic.twitter.com/AmRoBBztUV
— Samuel Oakford (@samueloakford) September 5, 2017
Showing six changes from the side that lost 2-0 to Japan in Saitama on Thursday, Australia had a remarkable 45 shots, hitting the post three times through Aaron Mooy, Tim Cahill and Tom Rogic. They forced repeated saves from Thai goalkeeper Sinthaweechai Hathairattanakool but could not break through until Tomi Juric converted Mooy’s cross after 69 minutes.
Even then things took another turn for the worse as the gutsy Thais scored a shock equaliser through Pokklaw Anan. It took Mathew Leckie’s low finish after Hathairattanakool failed to clear a corner to at least gave Australia the three points, meaning the Saudis needed a win by any score to go through.
Japan spurned several good chances early in the second half, but were also grateful to goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima for a wonder save from Muwallad when the substitute looked certain to score. Only a few minutes later he made no mistake, sending the 60,000-plus crowd into wild celebrations. It will be Saudi Arabia’s first appearence in the World Cup finals since 2006.
Syria claimed third spot in a tight group A thanks to a dramatic last-minute goal that gave them a 2-2 draw against group winners Iran in Tehran.
Their extraordinary progress to the play-off has prompted mixed reactions from the various sides in the country’s desperate civil war, given the team is heavily identified with the regime of Bashar al-Assad. The BBC’s Richard Conway and David Lockwood tracked the team’s incredible story in a long profile in March.
Syria’s draw in Tehran, where they took a shock first half lead before falling 2-1 behind, edged out Uzbekistan, who could only draw 0-0 with South Korea. Celebrating crowds thronged the streets of Damascus, where the government had erected huge screens to allow as many people as possible to follow the game live.
A match-up between Syria and Saudi Arabia, whose government has supported Syrian opposition groups during the war, would have posed logistical and security nightmares for Fifa. Instead Syria are now the Socceroos’ problem.
The play-offs will take place on 5 and 10 October.
