And here’s Emma Kemp’s match report from AAMI Park:
So, a comfortable win in the end, one that the Socceroos desperately needed. They’re back to winning form and, however briefly, they are back into second place - Japan, at half-time in their game against China, are leading 2-0. There were plenty of positives to take - some well-taken goals headlining - but also some possible cause for concern, given the way they allowed Vietnam to get back into the game after the break before the third went in. Still, a 4-0 win cannot be sniffed at, and Australia will head to Muscat for next week’s game against Oman in good spirits. That’s all from me for now. Stay tuned for Emma Kemp’s match report, coming right up. Cheerio.
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René Meulensteen: “Can’t be more pleased. We knew it was going to be a challenge but [I was] pleased with the quality we showed at times. Most importantly [we got] the three points. We knew we needed to keep going.
“We were on constant touch with [Graham Arnold]. I know he would have been sat there and enjoyed the performance.”
Craig Goodwin speaks: “Very rewarding, kind of lost for words to be honest. For me personally, it’s a great moment [to score] but there’s a lot of emotion in it. Its a very rewarding feeling for me and my family as well. All credit to Vietnam. The second half they came out and created some chances.”
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Full-time: Australia 4-0 Vietnam
90+4 mins: There it is! All over in Melbourne and the Socceroos get the job done with what proved to be a comfortable victory.
90+3 mins: Ooh! So close to a debut goal for Tilio who shoots on the slide across the face of goal! The keeper is beaten, but it rolls the wrong side of the far post!
90+2 mins: Sainsbury gets the better of Nguyen Cong Phuong, and that could be the last Vietnam attack of the night.
90 mins: Three minutes of added time to be played.
89 mins: Nothing comes of that corner, but Australia win another soon after. Goodwin, with hair slick from the rain, takes it. Bui Tan Truong is there to punch clear.
86 mins: Karacic fancies his chances from range as a section of the crowd attempts to get. a Mexican wave going. It’s deflected wide of the mark and there will be a late corner.
85 mins: Lovely quick feet from McGree before he sends Tilio away on his first proper run in international football. But he’s stopped in his tracks by an excellent tackle and the move breaks down.
83 mins: Ryan comes out to claim the corner without any fuss and he can launch an Australian counter attack.
82 mins: Tran Minh Vuong fires on target for Vietnam, but again it bounces off a gold shirt and behind for a corner.
81 mins: Good to see the exciting Marco Tilio get a chance. Let’s hope he sees some of the ball in the remaining 10 minutes or so.
80 mins: Here come Jeggo and Tilio, the latter to make his international debut. Off go Mooy and Martin Boyle.
78 mins: The official crowd number comes through - it’s a very healthy 27,740.
77 mins: McGree looks to the skies, which are offering forth buckets of rain. Job done off the bench by both McGree and Goodwin - a tactical masterstroke rang in by Graham Arnold in isolation?
Goal! Australia 4-0 Vietnam (McGree 76)
76 mins: What a strike from McGree! The new Middlesbrough man finds the bottom corner with a fierce low drive, having been fed by fellow substitute Goodwin!
74 mins: That really was a wonderfully composed finish from the in-form Goodwin, who has given Australia the cushion they may well have needed, if only to avoid any unwanted late drama tonight.
73 mins: Time for Rogic to head off. The playmaker is replaced by Riley McGree.
Goal! Australia 3-0 Vietnam (Goodwin 72)
72 mins: There it is! Ryan pumps a long ball upfield which somehow finds its way through to Goodwin, who runs onto it and executes a lovely dinked finish over the onrushing keeper! Three-nil to Australia and they should be home and dry now.
71 mins: Vietnam make yet another change - Do Hung Dung, the captian, is brought off and Tran Minh Vuong comes on to replace him.
70 mins: Twenty minutes remaining and the Socceroos still lead 2-0, but Vietnam are edging back into this one. Another goal would not go amiss in the Australian camp at the moment.
68 mins: The No 10, Nguyen Cong Phuong, is posing a real threat to the Socceroos since he came on. He’s comfortable on the ball and causing a few problems.
67 mins: Meanwhile, it’s time for Australia to make a change. Maclaren and Leckie are replaced by Duke and Goodwin.
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66 mins: More good play from Vietnam as Nguyen Hoang Duc heads back for Nguyen Thanh Chung who is wide of the mark!
66 mins: Vietnam come again! This time Nguyen Quand Hai sees his effort deflected behind for a corner as the rain comes down and the pressure builds on the Socceroos backline.
65 mins: Looks like Goodwin might be coming on - he’s stripped on the sideline and ready to go.
64 mins: All of a sudden, Vietnam have the wind in their sails and their more attacking intentions since the break and those changes are paying dividends.
63 mins: Ooh! Best chance of the night for Vietnam so far! It’s a cracking hit by another of those half-time substitutes, Nguyen Cong Phuong, who is only denied by a brilliant save by Maty Ryan!
61 mins: Before the corner is taken, the visitors make another change - Nguyen Phong Hong Duy comes on.
60 mins: One of the Vietnam substitutes, Nguyen Hoang Duc, has a crack, and it’s diverted behind for a corner.
59 mins: Ooh! Pham Tuan Hai nearly gets a boot on a near-post cross, but Ryan is there first and clears the danger!
58 mins: Mooy is dispossessed in the middle of park and Vietnam come forward. They’re playing it around quite nicely here.
56 mins: Mooy swings over another Socceroos corner... Sainsbury is in the mixer but the ball evades all and sundry and goes out of play on the other side.
53 mins: Again, Pham Tuan Hai causes some consternation in the Australian defence. Nothing doing this time, but this has been a far brighter start for the visitors.
52 mins: A warning shot there from Vietnam; they have started the second period in a different frame of mind.
51 mins: Lovely stuff from Vietnam! Pham Tuan Hai smashes wide after some neat interplay with captain Do Hung Dung to fashion another shooting chance!
50 mins: Leckie! He gets to another ball into the box, but the onrushing keeper does enough to put him off and the chance goes begging.
49 mins: The Socceroos win an early corner. Mooy takes it, but it’s easily headed clear.
47 mins: Vietnam have made three changes at the break, in a bid to shake things up.
Second half under way
46 mins: The rain has started coming down during the break as we get things under way once again.
Australia are good for their two-goal lead, it has to be said. Going forward Vietnam have offered little, although they have largely defended stoutly - the reason the Socceroos haven’t already run away with this one. Time for a comfort break, and we’ll be back for the second shortly.
Half-time: Australia 2-0 Vietnam
45+3 mins: And that is that for the half. A great way to finish the opening period as Rogic adds to Maclaren’s headed opener and the Socceroos head in at the break 2-0 up.
Updated
Goal! Australia 2-0 Vietnam (Rogic 45)
45+2 mins: Rogic won’t be denied a goal! He finishes with aplomb after Leckie slips him through with a neat little pass.
44 mins: Leckie has his name taken for a cynical foul on Nguyen Quand Hai, who he brings down just as he looks to break.
43 mins: Ooh, you can sense the anticipation as Rogic shapes under a high clearance... he connects well, but it’s straight into a red shirt.
42 mins: Nice from the visitors, as they fashion a shooting chance, their first of the night. But Phan Van Duc’s effort is weak and easy for Ryan to deal with. Still, a rare shot on target for Vietnam!
40 mins: Karacic again makes inroads going forward. The right-back is having a decent game.
How’s Ash Barty going across the road? She’s won and will contest Saturday’s Australian Open final!
38 mins: Here we go... .Boyle does well to get to Maclaren’s deep cross and play the ball back across the face of goal for Leckie, who controls, spins and fires! Well blocked!
37 mins: Boyle thinks he’s won a corner, but the flag is up and he’s offside. Goal kick it is instead.
36 mins: Rogic, so comfortable on the ball, brings it down expertly and lays off. What a player, when he’s in good touch.
35 mins: We’ve just been told on the telly that Graham Arnold, absent from the stadium tonight due to a positive Covid test, is on the blower to the dugout, barking orders down a direct telephone line.
34 mins: Oof, that’s a cynical challenge by Phan Van Duc on Boyle, as the forward skipped past him on the touchline. Amazingly, there’s no yellow card produced.
33 mins: Boyle looks to scamper onto a through ball now, hoping to double the lead, but it’s just out of his reach and the ball runs all the way through to Bui Tan Truong.
31 mins: That was clinical from the Melbourne City striker, and you can’t say that it hadn’t been coming. A well deserved lead.
Goal! Australia 1-0 Vietnam (Maclaren 30)
30 mins: This one will count! Maclaren rises, all alone, to meet a pinpoint cross from the left boot of Rogic with a thumping header that hits the back of the net! The Socceroos have their lead, finally!
29 mins: Here’s Mooy now in the middle of the park, but he’s got little to aim at up ahead of him. He plays the ball back.
28 mins: Leckie and King link up on the left, but Rogic’s touch lets him down when the ball arrives at his feet in the middle. Still goalless as we approach the half-hour mark.
27 mins: The Socceroos are being a bit more patient with their build up here. It doesn’t work out though, as Degenek eventually opts for a long ball forward that doesn’t reach a gold shirt. In fact, there’s no one near that pass.
25 mins: Hard to disagree with this sentiment.
Glorious Melbourne 🥰#AUSvVIE #AllForTheSocceroos pic.twitter.com/mO21RDVswc
— Socceroos (@Socceroos) January 27, 2022
24 mins: Here’s the first yellow card of the night, brandished in the direction of Pham Xuan Manh, who over-stretches on a tackle and catches Rogic.
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22 mins: Well, just over 20 minutes gone, and it’s been a fairly hectic opening, with the Socceroos well on top, but still with no goal to their name.
21 mins: Worth noting that Vietnam have some pretty vocal support inside AAMI Park tonight. Each foray forward is met with excited noise from the stands.
20 mins: The corner is easily cleared and now it’s the Socceroos’ turn to break at pace. Maclaren makes a mess of his pass though and the move breaks down just as quickly as it was created.
19 mins: Here come Vietnam, on the counter with Nguyen Quand Hai, who bursts away from Mooy in midfield. And the visitors win a corner.
17 mins: Oooh! Leckie goes agonisingly close with a glancing header from debutant Joel King’s cross in from the left! The ball bounces just wide of the upright, and Vietnam survive again.
16 mins: Much of Australia’s forward play is coming down the flanks, with Leckie and Karacic heavily involved so far.
15 mins: Karacic again gets forward well as the Socceroos press forward once again. He gets to the byline and puts over a cross, but again, nothing comes from it.
14 mins: Maclaren creeps up on Pham Xuan Manh and forces the defender into giving away possession. He gets away with it this time though, but will be well advised not to dawdle on the ball quite so much next time.
12 mins: And another penalty shout! Again it’s Vu Van Tahn and Leckie involved, but this time it appears to be more a case of Leckie running into his man. Play on, says the ref.
11 mins: Rogic with a bit of impromptu juggling which draws some oohs from the crowd but is rather ineffective in terms of fashioning any chance.
10 mins: The one-way traffic continues as Leckie takes on Vu Van Tahn and goes down in the box! He wants a penalty, and there does seem to be a bit of a shirt tug there, but the ref’s having none of it.
8 mins: Karacic now gets forward, as he does so well. He pings a low ball into the middle, but it’s well cleared this time.
7 mins: The ball is in the Australian half, but the Socceroos have possession and are just playing it around the back. Some brief respite for the visitors.
6 mins: Leckie advances in menacing fashion on the left now. The ball finds its way across the pitch to Boyle, but his cross comes to naught. Still, the pressure is intense.
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5 mins: Ooh! Another chance for the home side. This time it’s Leckie who’s put through on goal. His first touch is good, but he fires straight at Bui Tan Truong and the keeper’s legs do the rest!
3 mins: Still the Socceroos push forward, they’re camped in the Vietnam half.
2 mins: Well, well, well. What a start to the game. Irvine is called for being in an offside position, and he’s ruled to have obstructed the view of the keeper, Bui Tan Truong. Fair call, but unlucky for the Socceroos.
VAR rules the goal out
No! Wait! The referee has a look at the screen on the side of the pitch, and that won’t count! It’s ruled out. Early drama!
Goal! Australia 1-0 Vietnam (Rogic 1)
1 min: What a start! Australia take the lead after just seconds! A poor ball out of defence is picked up by Mooy... Boyle crosses in, Maclaren lays off and bang! Rogic finishes!
First half under way
1 min: And we’re off! Sounds like a decent atmosphere at AAMI Park as Vietnam’s Pham Tuan Hai kicks off, going right to left as I look at it. Pitch looks beautiful.
And the anthems. Well done, well done. And now for the football.
Here’s the Welcome to Country ceremony, narrated byAunty Joy Murphy. Beautiful and poignant, on the day after 26 January.
The players are lining up in the tunnel... and. here they come to a rapturous reception. Australia, of course, in gold shirts and socks with green shorts; Vietnam in all red, with yellow trim.
Is this the hottest ticket in town tonight? It’s hot, but so is Ash Barty’s Australian Open semi-final across the way from AAMI Park at Melbourne Park. The world No 1 is looking to book her place in Saturday’s final. She broke Madison Keys’ serve in the opening game, and leads as I type. Join John Brewin for all that, if tennis is your thing.
Hot off the press before kick-off: Socceroos great Mark Schwarzer, Matildas legends Kate Gill and Heather Garriock, and Tasmanian football icon Joseph (Joe) Huxley Honeysett have today been inducted into Football Australia’s Hall of Fame.
“The Football Australia Hall of Fame celebrates legends, and the people behind the legends, in our game,” FA chair Chris Nikou said. “Through their respective inductions into the Football Australia Hall of Fame, Kate, Heather, Mark, and Joe will forever be recognised as greats of Australian football – people that on and off the pitch showed their class and toiled for the sport to reach new heights.”
As the crowd files into AAMI Park, support is coming all the way from India, where the Matildas are entering the final preparations for their Asian Cup group match against Thailand, kicking off at 1am AEDT.
Good luck @Socceroos 💚💛
— Sam Kerr (@samkerr1) January 27, 2022
The Socceroos haven’t had it easy this qualification campaign given the impact of Covid and they’ve played just one game on home soil in their last 10 outings. Tonight, they return to Melbourne for the first time for ages - since September 2017 to be exact - and will be able to call on the support of a home crowd for a second time in three matches, after November’s draw with Saudi Arabia in western Sydney.
During the week, Craig Goodwin, who starts on the bench tonight, told the Socceroos’ website: “I think it’s going to be massive,” he said. “Obviously with the importance of the two games, to have a full crowd will hopefully give us the edge. We can’t wait to play in front of that atmosphere and in front of a packed stadium again.”
The team will, however, be without Graham Arnold, who has tested positive for Covid, in a bizarre nod to the challenges already thrown up during this campaign. Rene Meulensteen, former assistant to aforementioned coaching great, will be in charge tonight.
How Australia line up
Team news: Sydney FC defender Joel King makes his international debut after first-choice left-back Aziz Behich (blizzard) was ruled out. Rene Meulensteen said on Wednesday: “Joel has come in and deserves the right to be selected. He’s played a lot of important games and he’s done well, so if we decide to give Joel his debut we are confident he’s ready for it.” Creative sparks Aaron Mooy and Tom Rogic return, while Adjin Hrustic is suspended and misses out. At the back, Milos Degenek takes the place of the injured Harry Souttar.
𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗫𝗜 🗒
— Socceroos (@Socceroos) January 27, 2022
Here is how we will take to the field tonight in Melbourne!
Kick-off is 8:10pm AEDT, live on @10BoldAU.#AsianQualifiers #AUSvVIE #AllForTheSocceroos pic.twitter.com/ZZrGaHtd2L
🚨 LINE UPS | 🇦🇺 Australia 🆚 Vietnam 🇻🇳
— #WAC2022 (@afcasiancup) January 27, 2022
📃 Here's how the two teams set-up as we kick off a big night of #WCQ action!
📺 Watch Live : https://t.co/aJZacn5hOC#AsianQualifiers | #AUSvVIE pic.twitter.com/MbpvTc1jIB
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Preamble
As one great manager once put it, “it’s squeaky bum time”. Sir Alex Ferguson is attributed with first coining the phrase way back in 2003 as a tense Premier League title race approached a climax, but it also perfectly encapsulates the perilous situation the Socceroos find themselves in as the road to Qatar 2022 draws towards an end.
With four matches remaining, put simply, Australia must win against Vietnam at AAMI Park. Heading into this latest international window, the Socceroos occupy third place in Group B, a point off Japan in the second of two automatic qualification spots. Saudi Arabia, in top spot and a further four points ahead, hold the other.
The Socceroos are hoping to get back to winning ways, following a 1-1 draw against China last time out, a draw against Saudi Arabia and defeat in Japan. After tonight’s game, they face Oman in Muscat before two tough games to finish at home to Japan and away to Saudi Arabia.
Any slip-up so late in the piece could have major ramifications for Australian hopes of reaching the tournament in Qatar later this year, and against bottom side Vietnam (form guide: six defeats from six) anything but all three points for Graham Arnold’s side in Melbourne tonight will be unpalatable, nay unthinkable.
Kick-off is 8:10pm AEDT. I’ll have the line-ups to you shortly. In the meantime, feel free to get in touch via email or tweet @mike_hytner.
