It was a funny game, Australia’s 0-0 World Cup qualifying draw with Saudi Arabia on Thursday evening; a contest in which neither side could be said to have played at their best but, at the same time, both will have left kicking themselves that they didn’t take the three points. For the Socceroos, it was a tale, yet again, of telling moments going begging. And for the Green Falcons, inches, if that, that denied them a dramatic 95th-minute winner.
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With just seconds remaining, having not created all that much going forward across the second half, the ball sat up for Sultan Al-Ghannam on the second phase of a free kick. The 27,491 fans in the stadium held their breath and the Al-Nassr wingback seized the moment, driving a low effort beyond Joe Gacui and into the bottom corner of the net. It was a dagger, a late strike that had won the game. Pandemonium broke out on the Saudi bench and the strong contingent of their fans in the stands.
But gradually the celebrations become more muted. The realisation sank in first amongst the players on the pitch and those watching on from the terraces. Amidst all the raucousness, the assistant’s flag had been raised. The ball had gone through Ali Al-Bulaihi’s legs as it made its way into the net and the defender, by the barest of margins, had been behind the last figure in Green and Gold when the shot was launched. By definition, that meant he was interfering with play from an offside position. The goal would not stand, a winning start to the second Hervé Renard era in charge denied.
“I just saw the reaction,” Renard said of the moment. “We have to give confidence to the ref. But I have to see once again to be sure they made the best decision. So no more comments about it.”
For the Socceroos, though, maybe there was a sense of balance to that turn of fate, given that on another night they easily could have been ahead. Three times across the opening 45 minutes and once more in the dying stages, the side in green and gold were presented with gilt-edged opportunities to open the scoring and four times that moment had slipped through their grasp.
In the 18th minute, Lewis Miller’s header from an Ajdin Hrustic free kick was blocked by Feras Al-Brikan into the path of Harry Souttar in the six-yard box, only for the towering defender to sky his effort over the bar.
In the 45th, the press from Aiden O’Neill saw Nasser Al-Dawsari cough the ball up for Mitch Duke, who would square the ball to Hrustic in space at the top of the box, only for his tame effort to be easily handled by Saudi keeper Ahmed Al-Kassar. Five minutes later, with effectively the last action of the half, another pressing manoeuver saw Jackson Irvine steal a pass from Faisel Al-Ghamdi, play a one-two with Duke and advance towards goal before placing an off-balance shot wide, the ball he’d been hoping to play to Hrustic never eventuating.
In the 84th minute, Miller slid the ball in behind the Saudi lines for substitute Brandon Borrello to advance clear in on goal but, at the final moment, the attacker opted to attempt to square the ball for McGree for an ostensible tap-in rather than shoot himself, giving the visitor’s defence the scope to heroically scramble the ball clear.
For a side that has struggled to create chances consistently, it was a quartet of moments that needed to be seized. They didn’t play well in the opening half but still had three chances. They played better in the second and only had one. Yet none were taken and a chance to take a giant step towards 2026 went begging.
“They brought a lot of energy in the first half and I don’t think we coped with that very well,” said Australia coach Tony Popovic. “We weren’t very good with the ball and we looked a little bit heavy and lethargic.
“But in the second half, I thought we really improved and took control of the game, which was pleasing.”
Ultimately, both sides exit with a point, largely in the same place they found themselves coming in and likely to be leapfrogged in the group by Bahrain, who host bottom-placed China later on Thursday; McGree’s last-minute bicycle kick that bounced just wide another tease of what glories may have been.