The Docceroos have started their 2017 WMFC campaign with a disappointing 2-1 loss to Argentina. Despite taking an early lead, the Australians failed to capitalise and were left ruing missed opportunities, and the erratic Austrian weather. However, there were plenty of good signs throughout the game, and the boys in green and gold remain optimistic about their chances of progression.
Sunday dawned bright and warm. Perfect conditions for football, one excited player was heard remarking to the perky receptionist at Hotel Leonhard. A light smattering of weather on the radar, but nothing to worry about, right?
WRONG. But we’ll have more on that later.
The first team meeting of the tournament was full of nervous energy. Coach Ian said “I won’t be trying to fire you up today, there’s just no need.” It was still a good chance to go through our tactical foci for today and the tournament (if any poms are reading this, we favour slow build-up play, we use a 3-3-1-2 formation, and Brendan D never shoots from distance so don’t bother closing him down).
With the mercury at 29 degrees for kickoff, Andrew P had his customary three layers of sunblock applied. As the teams lined up at Saalfelden Stadium you could’ve been forgiven for thinking you were in the Maracana. Boos and jeers from the throngs of Australian supporters drowned out the toneless mumbling of whatever passes for a national anthem in Argentina. However there was barely a dry eye in the house after a rousing rendition of Advance Australia Fair.
Both verses.
A nervy start from both teams. The Argentineans, most of whom had a centre of gravity somewhere below their knees, enjoyed keeping the ball and working their way through tight spaces with some cute combinations. The Australians were playing much more direct, but struggling at times to provide quality service to Brendan M and James (“that’s Seamus to his friends”) up front. The South Americans weren’t without their own problems in attack – the youthful linesman on the far side was called into action at least five times before half time for some (correct) offsides.
The linesman receives a traditional Australian greeting pre-game
“This game needs a goal,” said one interested local. And indeed the goal arrived in the 23rd minute, when a nicely weighted ball in from the right by James (Seamus) couldn’t be cleared by the Argentinean defence. The rebound fell kindly for Arash, who slotted home to make the score 1-0. The stadium erupted, causing an avalanche alarm to sound on the north face of nearby Hochkönig. A nice finish by the Aussie number 20, but he’ll be disappointed with the celebration. No knee slide, no cartwheel, no corner flag boxing. I hope you have a chance to redeem yourself tomorrow, Arash.
The next ten minutes was some of the best Australian football of the game. We played with style and confidence. But it wasn’t to last. An Argentinean ball in from the right that can only be described as ‘speculative’ was fortunate to make it through to their striker, who put a tidy finish into the far corner to even the scores back up at 1-1. More to the point, a nicely-executed Robbie Keane style fist-pump towards the corner was a good way to cap off the goal.
1-1 at half time, then, and plenty to play for. Unfortunately the weather was starting to deteriorate. “Ah yes, those Austrian micro-climates up to their old tricks,” proclaimed Chris V knowingly, clasping his hands behind his back and gazing into the distance. Wise words indeed.
The better chances in the second half probably fell to the South Americans. A one on one thudded against the upright, although Terry was heard to claim “I had it covered anyway” as he brushed grass off his face. The Docceroos’ best chance was a strong penalty shout by Brendan M, who cut in from the left before being clearly obstructed, in this humble reporter’s opinion, by his opposite number (a man of dubious character). But it was waved away by the referee.
The referee had no such qualms about awarding spot-kicks up the other end. An Argentinean ball in from the right was collected by their winger, who dribbled towards goal and made the most of a very small amount of contact from the Australian defender. Despite Hamburg G20-style protests from the Docceroos, with Chris threatening to torch his rental BMW ("Zero excess means zero excess lads!"), the penalty was placed into the bottom left corner to put the South Americans in front for the first time.
Australia pressed for an equaliser, but the conditions were rapidly worsening. I’m talking 90 degree rain, lightning, and hailstones the size of extremely small golf balls. The referee was having none of it and called an impromptu three quarter time break while we waited for the weather to clear. With ten minutes to go and one goal down, this was quite a nice ‘time out’ for us.
The hills are alive... with the sound of thunder
Play was eventually resumed, however it resembled 22 pigs rolling around in deep mud more than anything else. A few half-chances were created by Australia but nothing was able to be converted. Another good penalty shout by Brendan M. was ignored. There are unconfirmed reports that our referee has extensive Argentinean heritage on his mother’s side, however as I said, this is merely hearsay.
1-2 the final score. A disappointing result to be sure but there is certainly a way back for Australia from here. Wins against Great Britain this afternoon and Russia tomorrow morning would make the group table very interesting. A reminder that the five group winners plus best three second-placed teams progress.
I caught up with captain Brendan after the game to ask his thoughts for the report, however he only responded by yelling "AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE". We'll work on a quote for next game.
Stay tuned for more updates! And you can catch a full replay of the game on YouTube here.
- Simon
