In a world in which the Socceroos’ World Cup qualification campaign was the domain of fiction, one could wishfully fashion a narrative that the scene is set for a cliched Hollywood-style triumph.
Should Australia defeat Japan at Stadium Australia on Thursday and Saudi Arabia in Jeddah next week, automatic qualification for Qatar 2022 will be assured. They will have overcome not only two of the strongest nations in Asia but also the loss of coach Graham Arnold to a second Covid diagnosis and the decimation of their playing ranks through a combination of Covid, injury, vaccination status and impending nuptials.
