Seven months out from the World Cup, the Socceroos have lost three straight games. Their 3-0 defeat to Colombia in Queens came with a better performance than their abject defeat against Venezuela last week but once they went behind, it all came undone; James Rodríguez’s 76th-minute penalty was followed by Luis Díaz pouncing on an error in the 88th-minute, before Jefferson Lerma fired home in stoppage time.
Against a strong opponent, possessing world-class attacking talent, Australia did what we’ve come to expect from them for the first 75 minutes. They defended resolutely and in numbers, and put their bodies on the line and into their opponents. Coach Tony Popovic revealed post-game that almost the entire squad, and several members of the staff, had spent Sunday bedridden after a virus ripped through the camp. Ultimately, it was a player-led decision to not reveal this before the game commenced.
“They didn’t train on Sunday; the whole group was sick in bed,” Popovic said. “We had a virus go through the whole squad, including the staff, so we were unable to train on Sunday. We flew three hours here on Monday and came here and put up a really good, brave performance. I’m actually surprised at how well they did, because physically, they were clearly nowhere near it.
This physical toll perhaps explains why there was never a sense Australia would be able to find a way back into the contest once they went behind. A calamitous mix-up that saw Camilo Vargas’s goal kick bounce all the way through for Díaz spoke of a side that, with hindsight, would have been at the end of its tether, as did the goalmouth scramble for Lerma’s sealer.
“We were really hot and cold,” Aiden O’Neill said of the virus. “The body aches [all over] and it was in your throat. We tried to stop it spreading across the whole team, but it went pretty quickly, and a few of us were quite sick. But we can be proud that we were still able to go out and perform like that for most of the game.”
Disappointingly for those of an Australian bent, given the way the Socceroos were defending to that point, few would have been shocked if the match had ended in a goalless stalemate. They didn’t look much like scoring, but, at the same time, they were resolute. Thus, the penalty that swung that game stung, especially given that it was, being very charitable, highly suspect, with there being no VAR to review it.
“It’s never a penalty. It’s the softest penalty you can see,” said Popovic. “I’m sure we don’t get that tonight. It’s unfortunate to say that, but I’m sure it’s true. Without VAR, that’s such a soft penalty to give.”
The Socceroos argue the referee’s penalty decision. Photograph: Heather Khalifa/AP
“I still don’t know what it was for,” added defender Kai Trewin, who started his second successive game after debuting against Venezuela last week. “We asked [the referee] on the pitch when it happened: who gave the foul away and what happened? And she couldn’t tell us who gave the penalty away, and she couldn’t tell us why she gave it.”
Ultimately, the revelation of the illness, as well as the contentious spot kick, does place the game in something of a new light. On a positive note, the meek standoffishness that had characterised their play in Houston was replaced with a greater aggression and willingness to put bodies about. And when they did get on the ball, there was a clearer emphasis on retaining possession.
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Australia didn’t create much going forward, but they were clean enough in possession to ensure Colombia were largely denied opportunities to pounce and move the ball against a scrambling defence in transition. And while the South Americans would increasingly dominate possession and territory as the game progressed, they invariably found themselves trying to break down a deeply embedded 5-4-1 block whenever they controlled the ball for extended periods
Such is the attacking firepower possessed by Néstor Lorenzo’s side, however, that chances eventually began to come even without getting in behind – Yáser Asprilla, Luis Suárez, and James all forcing Izzo, who was tapped to start over Maty Ryan, into saves. And while acknowledgements have to be made for the illness, it also needs to be noted that the Socceroos finished the game with two shots and just one – a Riley McGree free-kick – on target. It continued a blunt trend from games without a virus hanging over the side.
Australia will now have just one further window before Popovic names his World Cup squad to hone an attacking edge after scoring just once in their last three games, all losses. The margins are getting thin.
