Just 22 days ago, on the day he was announced as the new coach of the Socceroos, Tony Popovic made something very clear. Above all else: “It’s always okay to win ugly.” And while he may not have taken three points on Tuesday evening in Saitama, the 1-1 draw that Australia’s men secured against Japan, breaking what had been a perfect run of nine games, nine wins, and no goals conceded by the Samurai Blue to that point in World Cup qualifying, certainly felt like one. And having secured it without putting a single shot on target, it was this willingness to embrace the ugly made manifest. A smash-and-grab in Saitama.
“It wasn’t pretty,” said Mitch Duke, who produced Australia’s only effort of the game on target with a wayward 12th-minute header. “And we knew we had to just bunker in and do the defensive and dirty work and really match it physically.”
Just before the hour mark, moments after the hosts had fired the latest warning salvo when Takefuso Kubo had floated a ball towards the back post that Takumi Minamino headed into the side netting, Jason Geria headed a clearance by Japan’s goalkeeper Zion Suzuki back from whence it came. Given a rare opportunity to do something other than defend, Lewis Miller’s cross in from the right didn’t look all that threatening but that didn’t stop Shogo Taniguchi from inexplicably slicing the ball into his net. 1-0 Australia. What!?!?!
Perhaps it’s fitting that it was Japan themselves being the ones to break a run of 868 minutes without conceding during qualification, so imperious has their form been during this run. And ultimately, it was a deficit that would only last 18 minutes, after the Australians themselves scored an own goal when Cameron Burgess’ attempt to clear a cross from Keito Nakamura instead nestled beyond Joe Gauci. But that one moment of fortune proved enough of a buffer to give the Socceroos a point away from home that few had hoped for and even fewer had expected.
Indeed, the pessimism over the Socceroos’ chances had only heightened before kickoff after a traffic accident on the road to Saitama meant they took more than two hours to get to the game from their hotel, arriving at 6:46 pm for a 7:35 pm kickoff. Both the JFA and FA requested that the kickoff be delayed only for the AFC to decline, with the only mercy afforded to the Australians being five minutes extra to warm-up.
And very quickly from kickoff, it became apparent that the Japanese possessed not only more pace than the Australians – both with and without the ball – but were just as threatening when the pace was slowed, manipulating their opponent with pauses and feints that created space where there previously had been none.
These moments of danger most frequently arrived when the Socceroos attempted to play through the Japanese press, only to quickly have their attempts break down. Kubo frequently drifted inside to not only threaten when he received the ball to feet but also increase the space available to be exploited by the likes of Ritsu Doan and Minamino. Luke Brattan became the oldest player to make his debut in Socceroos’ history when he was tapped to start in the midfield as one of six changes made by Popovic but, unfortunately for him, he looked it against Asia’s best midfield.
Yet while the Japanese were able to dominate possession and territory, that final killer pass or lethal shot either evaded them or was repulsed. Outside of moments of transition, when they were tasked with breaking down an entrenched 5-4-1, they were more confidently repulsed. The own goal aside, the Australian defence was immense, refusing to crack against wave after wave of Japanese attack and allowing only three shots on target across the game and less than one expected goal – Geria’s first international start one to remember and Harry Souttar a tower of strength.
It was an ugly, ugly point. While grateful for it, Popovic said post-game that this was just the start and that, in the future, his side must be better if they want to beat Japan. But deep down, he’s likely also seeing the beauty in it.
