Just Peru now stand in Australia’s way of reaching Qatar after an unconvincing but effective performance against UAE
The game was the last of the Group C fixtures and actually held no tangible ramifications for either side – France and Denmark had already sealed their progression as the top two nations. But when they meet again for a sudden-death playoff in Doha this coming Monday night , the outcome will matter very much.
Australia’s position as of Wednesday morning is also exceeding expectations, mainly because they were lowered in line with recent poor results. Many outside the team camp did not predict they would overcome the United Arab Emirates. There was a sense this stop-start qualifying campaign might have run its course.
That does not discount previous concerns regarding this side’s ability to do so, which remain. While more compact at the back against the UAE there were still defensive issues, most notably regarding the space repeatedly exposed behind full-back Nathaniel Atkinson, who endured a trying second international appearance against the frankly outstanding 19-year-old winger, Harib Abdalla.
Arnold has been tapping into this nugget of possibility with his squad by emphasising the advantages of possessing “Aussie DNA”. It sounds trite, and also floats rather close to the vexed ‘Australian values’ discourse. The sentiment, though, has a purpose. And if it works, well hey.
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