Nothing lasts forever, especially in the capricious world of football. And after having results go their way so often during World Cup qualification, it felt inevitable that the whims of the footballing gods would at some point turn away from Australia.
While Tony Popovic’s side did pretty much everything they could over the last week, smashing Indonesia 5-1 in Sydney before dispatching China 2-0 in Hangzhou, Japan did everything but score against Saudi Arabia in Saitama on Tuesday. That result ensures the Socceroos’ hopes of automatic qualification for the 2026 World Cup will go down to the wire in June.
