Australia boss Graham Arnold gathered his players in a post-match huddle around injured Martin Boyle after their win over Tunisia.
The Hibs forward was given the devastating news he was being cut from the squad after failing to recover from a knee injury. However, he’s remained with the Socceroos in Qatar as self-appointed “vibes manager.” More bad news was to come however, when it was discovered during surgery that Boyle had ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament and would miss the rest of the Scottish Premiership season.
The Aussies needed a win over the North African nation to retain a realistic chance of qualifying for the knock-out stage after their opening game defeat to world champions France. And they got their first World Cup win since beating Serbia since 2010. with Celtic's Aaron Mooy and Kye Rowles of Hearts impressive alongside the imperious Harry Souttar, Mitchell Duke’s clever first half header was enough to take all three points before France take on Denmark later today.
After the final whistle, Arnold rounded up his entire squad and threw his arm around Boyle - who was on crutches - in the middle of a post-match huddle. He said: "We showed that great fighting Aussie spirit tonight. We were in their faces all the time and I expect we made the nation very proud.
"The other night, we played against the current world champions and the boys had the same effort levels. It was incredible again. To all the doubters and haters; bring it on!
"This gives us huge confidence. Like a said to the boys before the first game, it was the best friendly we could have had against France. Because if you make a small mistake, it gets punished.
"A lot of those mistakes were removed tonight and I'm extremely proud of the boys. Yes we've achieved one win, but it's nothing.
"I could feel the support of the fans back home, 100 per cent. I could feel all my mates in the Sacky (bar) in Rozelle, cheering and drinking those beers!"
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