Houston, do we have a problem? After starting the Tony Popovic-era with an 11-game unbeaten run, an experimental Socceroos lineup fell to their second-straight defeat, going down 1-0 to Venezuela at Houston’s Shell Energy Stadium. While there was a certain level of fight to their 2-1 loss to the United States last month, this was a much more passive, flatter defeat.
Just 20 minutes in, the 50th-ranked Venezuela had three-quarters of possession, which only fell to 66% at game’s end. It was a sharp contrast between the approach of interim boss Fernando Aristeguieta and his predecessor Fernando Batista, who was sacked after they failed to qualify for the World Cup with an average possession rate of just 39% during the qualification campaign.
