ANALYSIS: Socceroos must decide their own destiny in must-win World Cup qualifier
Win against the UAE and they will take on Peru next week in the final decider: an arguably harder task given Australia has not defeated a South American side in the men's game for over a decade, having lost five and drawn twice since then.
Uncertainty permeates Australia in many more ways. Their shaky run into the play-offs, their loss of key player inand lingering absence of Harry Souttar, questionable tactics and out-of-position players, and criticisms over those intangible things - their spirit, their mentality, their fight - have created an air of mournful resignation among the Socceroos' faithful that they might not get the job done.
It's not the first time Australia has had to do this the hard way, though. Ange Postecoglou led the Socceroos through the intercontinental play-off back in 2018, just edging Syria and Honduras on their way to Russia. Four years earlier, Australia under Holger Osieck only made it to Brazil thanks to a final-match-day win over Iraq.The Socceroos sparked the imagination of the nation when they defeated Uruguay in a penalty shoot-out at Stadium Australia to qualify for the 2006 World Cup.
These do-or-die moments are pivot points: they can trigger something that permeates the sport for years to come, or they can be the death-knell of a coach, a team, and a generation of players who fade into the yellowing pages of history.You can follow all the action with ABC Sport's live-blog from 3:30am AEST.
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