The Socceroos showed the inventiveness that got them to the World Cup round of 16 as goals from Jackson Irvine, Awer Mabil and Garang Kuol put Ecuador to the sword
Twelve months ago to the day, in another part of Sydney, the Socceroos had their hopes of direct qualification for the World Cup dashed in a 2-0 loss to Japan. Graham Arnold’s job, it seemed, was hanging by a thread, and the team was at its lowest ebb in recent memory. It was a dark time for the men in green and gold.
Also involved in the move for Kuol’s sealer was Alex Robertson, the highly touted teenager in Pep Guardiola’s first team at Manchester City, who was given his first taste of international football off the bench, and showed some lovely touches - and some feisty ones in the dying minutes as Ecuadorian players seemed to take issue with some alleged play-acting.
On the field, the Socceroos picked up pretty much where they left off in Doha – they were energetic from the outset, albeit a little more open defensively than Arnold would have liked.
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