Defence against the dark arts: Socceroos brace for more Bahraini antics

You can almost set your watch to it. And the Socceroos can only hope the referee does too, and account for it via added time.

The Socceroos know exactly what to expect in their World Cup qualifying clash with Bahrain on Wednesday morning (AEDT) in Riffa. The problem is that they knew what to expect the last time they met, two months ago on the Gold Coast, in the shocking 1-0 defeat that ultimately set the table for Graham Arnold’s decision to step down as head coach of the national team. And they still got sucked in by their time-wasting antics.

“It still stings a lot,” said defender Harry Souttar, who conceded the own goal in the 89th minute that sealed just the second defeat for Australia in a live World Cup qualifier on home soil since 1981.

“After, we could hear them celebrating, and that probably annoyed us the most. We absolutely owe them a performance.”

Skipper Maty Ryan raged in the post-match mixed zone about Australia’s “naive” approach to the game and their bluntness in the final third, which played into Bahrain’s defensive approach. The more the Socceroos got frustrated in their search for a breakthrough goal, the more they rushed things. The more their opponents played for free kicks, and drained the clock by rolling around on the floor, the faster this vicious cycle accelerated.

“That’s what Middle Eastern football is about,” Craig Goodwin said.

Kusini Yengi checks on Bahraini player Sayed Baqer in September.Credit: Getty Images

The Socceroos are still trying to atone for that result, which drastically set back their hopes of direct qualification for the 2026 World Cup. Those hopes will almost certainly disintegrate if they don’t win the rematch – although they would be far worse off already were it not for China’s surprise 1-0 win over Bahrain on Thursday, which continued a string of unpredictable results in Group C, where four teams look to be fighting it out for second spot behind Japan.

“It’s been a bit of a strange group, to be fair – everyone’s kind of beating everyone,” Souttar said. “Hopefully, that stops soon – for us, anyway – and we’ll pick up some wins because we really need to. I think if we want to be finishing in top two, then that’s the games that we’ve got to be winning.”

New coach Tony Popovic has preached since day one in the job the importance of staying calm on the pitch at all times. It is easier said than done. And it will be even harder in Bahrain, where the jeers and whistles of the home crowd will further embolden their opponents.

“It’s so important,” Souttar said.

Socceroos defender Harry Souttar gets his boot to the ball against Saudi Arabia.Credit: Getty Images

“I mean, I say that myself as well, but then when you’re in the game, it’s so easy to get caught up in the game and some of the decisions. When you’re in that environment and that atmosphere, it’s obviously hard sometimes not to get a little bit frustrated when it keeps happening. But that’s on us to handle those situations better.”

No Socceroo will deflect their share of the blame for what happened that night. Ultimately, they lost because they were nowhere near good enough with the ball to break down Bahrain’s stacked defence – and while Popovic’s 3-4-2-1 formation has reshaped their attacking patterns, the goals are not exactly flowing yet, as Thursday’s misfire against Saudi Arabia in Melbourne showed. In three games, they have scored only four goals: three came in one night against China, while the other was an own goal. They have also developed a strange habit of starting slowly and only clicking into gear after half-time, which is surely unsustainable.

“We’ve just got to start getting better. Simple as that,” Souttar said.

Things look a lot more settled at the back, where Souttar has returned to top form in the middle of a back three featuring Cameron Burgess – who has cracked Ipswich Town’s starting Premier League team this season – and Jason Geria, the long-time A-League stalwart who has brilliantly seized an opportunity he never thought would come.

Harry Souttar exchanges words with Bahrain players last September.Credit: Getty Images

Souttar has had a difficult few years. He hurt his ACL barely a year out from the 2022 World Cup, but returned just in time and put in one of the all-time great Socceroos performances against Tunisia despite having played little lead-in club football. While Leicester City paid an Australian record transfer fee for him straight after the tournament, he lost his spot in the team after they were promoted to the Premier League and was frozen out of their first team for months on end.

A loan move this season to Sheffield United in the Championship has brought the rhythm back to the 26-year-old’s game, and he has very quickly established himself as one of the best central defenders in the division.

“It just fits really well,” he said. “The club, the manager’s put a massive amount of trust in me and responsibility on me. So far, it’s been good.

“Obviously, I’ve got three and a half years left at Leicester, so I don’t really want to be saying too much [about my future] because it’s not probably in my hands, but what I will say is that I’m loving my time there. Whatever happens will happen either in January or the summer. What Leicester want to do with me, I’m not too sure.”

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