Asian Cup 2015: after unconvincing semifinal performance, Tim Cahill targets ‘special’ final
TIM Cahill admits the Socceroos weren’t at their best against UAE but says it will be a special moment when they play Korea at a packed-out final in Sydney.
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SELF-AWARE to a fault, the Socceroos know their qualification for the Asian Cup final came from their least convincing performance, admitted Tim Cahill.
But inspired by the prospect of a full house at ANZ Stadium, Cahill promised that the culmination of a “14-month journey” would be “a special moment for all of us” when Australia meet South Korea in the showpiece decider.
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Despite establishing a 2-0 lead over the UAE early in Tuesday night’s semifinal, the Socceroos were forced back into their shell - greeting the final whistle with relief and a determination to finish the Asian Cup project by lifting it on Saturday night.
“It was a real unique feeling coming off the pitch afterwards into the changing rooms and sitting with Mile [Jedinak] and just saying we know we could have done better,” Cahill said. “So, it wasn’t too upbeat. No one is really getting carried away, we were straight on the massage tables and ice baths and focusing now on one of the biggest games in Australian soccer history.
“When we look at the game, are we really happy with the way we played? Possibly not. We know we have played better. We scored early, we closed down and the intensity was good. We know we could have been tidier on the ball. But overall we’re really happy as a team at where we got to and where we are going to.
“I’m really proud of the boys, the staff, everyone who has backed us from the start. You know this 14 months, the journey has been amazing but it’s nothing that I haven’t said from the start.”
With Tuesday night’s game watched by an average of more than a million people, and the final itself expected both to sell out and achieve a higher TV rating, Cahill said the players deserved to have such widespread support for trying to “win the right way by playing football and what we believe in”.
“Finally to have the backing of everyone is going to be amazing, but it is only what we deserve purely because of footballing reasons,” he said. “We had 20,000-odd people in Newcastle - it didn’t matter where we played or where you put us, it is going to be a special moment for all of us.
“But the mindset is to win and to win the right way by playing football and what we believe in. It’s going to be a big night. I’m not going to focus on Korea. I’ve never focused on any team we have played. I am going to focus on us. Focus on recovery and the boys being as fit as possible and really understanding the position we are in.
“If we dictate games with our style of football, the way we move the ball, it’s going to be very hard for any team to play us. Congratulations to Korea, but it’s going to be all about us, the way we prepare, application and the consistency we have shown throughout this tournament.
“It is our mindset, to see the young players and the way we have programmed ourselves to this tournament. It is going to be no different.”
Originally published as Asian Cup 2015: after unconvincing semifinal performance, Tim Cahill targets ‘special’ final
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