Australia has ensured they will head to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in winning form after defeating New Zealand 2-0 at Eden Park on Sunday.
After an unconvincing 1-0 win against the same opponents in Brisbane on Thursday, a rotated Socceroos side showed little sign of improvement across the opening half in Auckland; Marco Tilio's horror miss on the stroke of half-time blowing a chance to give them what would have been a generous lead.
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But a tweak in approach at the break led to a much-improved second half as goals from Mitch Duke and Jason Cummings, with a head-turning cameo from Garang Kuol, helped lift the Socceroos to the win.
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Rapid reaction
1. Bring the rotations
If Thursday's game at Lang Park was about Socceroos boss Graham Arnold rewarding the players that secured qualification for the World Cup, as well as zeroing in on those who would take the field in their Group D opener against France on Nov. 23, then Sunday was about helping to figure out who would take up seats 12 through 26 on the plane. Nine of the starters that took the field in Brisbane, as well as striker Jamie Maclaren, were given leave to return to their clubs before the fixture by Arnold, with Milos Degenek and Martin Boyle unused subs on the bench.
In their place, figures such as Denis Genreau, Connor Metcalfe, and Thomas Deng were given a chance to establish their bona fides amongst the starters, while debutants such as Ryan Strain, Cummings, and Kuol came off the bench.
Arnold had said on multiple occasions leading into the international window that this was going to be the approach but, given that the two-game series against the Kiwis represented the last fixtures that the Socceroos will play ahead of the World Cup, whether this each-way approach to the series was optimal is a question that, inevitably, will linger.
Would the limited minutes on offer before the World Cup have been better used to try to nail down chemistry and cohesion for the starting XI? Or would the 180 minutes have been better served to give the young and fringe players a greater run at impressing? Was anything learned from the series? Former Socceroo Alex Brosque, speaking on Network Ten's coverage, didn't think so but Arnold insisted postmatch that he had taken numerous benefits from the approach.
Such is the nature of international management on the eve of a World Cup. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.
2. A tale of two halves
Across the opening exchanges, there were signs that the lethargy and lack of inspiration that had haunted the team in Brisbane hadn't made it across the ditch as a new midfield trio of Genreau, Metcalfe, and Riley McGree started. But that quickly faded and, as the game settled, errors began to seep into the Socceroos' attempts to carry the ball forward and Arnold's side consistently failed to find a way through the All Whites' press.
By the time the first half concluded, Australia had had more of the ball than the Kiwis but the vast majority of that possession had been in their half. Beyond the obvious difficulties this dynamic presented for the Australian's attacking play, the frequent turnovers in the midfield opened the door for the Kiwis to get out in transition, presenting opportunities that an opponent like Kylian Mbappe and Les Bleus will feast on come November. Of course, the continued foibles with the ball also don't bode well for when the Australians come up against a team like Tunisia, which many of their fans have circled as their most likely path to points -- or at least a goal -- in Qatar.
However, much in the same way that the positions the Australian midfield was losing the ball in during the first half opened up opportunities for the Kiwis to look threatening, the inverse took place after the break. Playing a higher line and looking to press with more energy as proceedings got back underway, the Socceroos were able to win the ball in positions higher up the pitch and, imbued with more confidence as a result, were able to play with more freedom and create more chances. Tilio, in particular, went some way towards making amends for his horror first-half miss by getting on the ball, running at defenders, and all around looking much more like the player that has emerged at Melbourne City. It was an approach that believed in the player's abilities and, ultimately, it was rewarded. This tactical shift, more so than vague generalities surrounding physicality, saw the Socceroos play their best football from across the two-game series.
So what does it mean for the team moving forward? In a vacuum, culpability for the foibles in the first half could be placed at the feet of a young XI thrown together for the first time on a surface that left something to be desired. Or well-worn and misplaced declarations surrounding lack of cattle. Such reasoning though, would discount that these challenges in possession and approach have become the norm and not the exception for the Socceroos throughout their, admittedly arduous, World Cup cycle, as well as the clear benefits a change in approach brought in the second. Arnold has different tools and approaches at his disposal in Qatar, but their deployment, if form from fixtures against Japan and Saudi Arabia holds, will almost certainly be conditioned by opposition, regardless of what is shown in hitouts like Sunday's second half.
Australia's Jason Cummings scored his first Socceroos goal just 17 minutes after coming on for his debut against New Zealand. Fiona Goodall/Getty Images3. Boltah Watch!
Given that neither Trent Sainsbury nor Degenek covered themselves in glory in the first leg of the series, Deng's performance at centre-back -- an area of the squad that could potentially be in flux depending on the fitness of Harry Souttar and Kye Rowles heading into November -- should at the very least have solidified him as a potential back-up option in Arnold's mind. Aside from a disastrous turnover in the 68th minute that almost led to a Kiwi equaliser, Delbridge too was solid and brought an important physical presence, albeit likely not to the extent where he will feature in conversations surrounding Qatar.
Doing what he does best in hurling himself at Metcalfe's cross into the box and driving a header into the back of the net, Duke has all but certainly booked his place in Arnold's squad at Qatar and, given the trust that the coach places in him, is perhaps now the favourite to lead the line against France.
But one can't talk about the Socceroos' attack moving forward without mentioning Cummings and Kuol.
Maybe it's because he simply hasn't been a part of a professional setup long enough to have it coached out of him, but Kuol's positive and fearless mindset was on full display with his first touches against the Kiwis: his driving run forward setting up the move that eventually led to Cummings winning a penalty he would convert. He then followed that up with more flashes that were met with bated breath whenever he got the ball.
Kuol hasn't even started an A-League Men game yet. And thanks to the likes of Cummings he might not even do so before the league breaks for the World Cup, but his game-breaking cameo off the bench will do absolutely nothing to diminish his bolter status.
The same goes for Cummings who, ignoring his status as the cult-hero, has now broken the glass ceiling of Socceroo selection, netted his first goal, and is now primed to make a late run at the squad.
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Player ratings
Australia: Redmayne 6, Atkinson 6, Deng 8, Delbridge 7, King 5, Metcalfe 6, Genreau 5, McGree 6, Leckie 5, Duke 6, Tilio 6
Subs: Strain 6, Baccus N/A, Kuol 8, Devlin 7, Cummings, 7
Best and worst performers
BEST: Thomas Deng -- Kuol and Cummings will get the headlines, but Deng's first appearance in a Socceroos shirt since 2018, and just second overall, showed little signs of the injury problems that have derailed him since -- intervening on several occasions across the shaky first half and quickly establishing himself as a leader. Able to play at right-back as well as the centre of defence and entering his prime at 25 years old, he's done his World Cup case no harm.
WORST: The Eden Park surface -- Described as "heavy" by Arnold in his postmatch news conference, the players were clearly slipping and sliding almost from the opening kick-off and, with a World Cup looming, it would have undoubtedly given Arnold a few heart palpitations.
Highlights and notable moments
Marco Tilio should have put the Socceroos ahead late in the first half with this gilt-edged chance.
A golden chance is wasted by the Socceroos just before half-time