At half-time of Australia’s 1-0 win over Japan, a smash-and-grab to end all smash-and-grabs that all but punches their tickets to the 2026 World Cup, the Socceroos staff had a clear message for their players. They’d been handily outplayed to that point, lucky to get out of their own half let alone fashion something resembling a threat on their opponent’s goal, as a second-string Samurai Blue outfit dominated almost every meaningful statistic except the only one that mattered.
There was a feeling of disappointment over a perceived lack of toughness from the home side, a view that they were second best in every challenge, losing their duels and missing out on every second ball. But there was no sense of panic. “The coaches were just like, ‘stay calm’, keep moving it, keep moving it,” said Connor Metcalfe. “And if we have to score in the 90th minute, then we have to score in the 90th minute.”
