Socceroos v China report card: Australia march on after impressing with all-round display

PRE-ASIAN Cup, the minimum benchmark was widely set as a semi-final appearance. Now that the Socceroos have got there, is it time to re-assess?

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 22: Tim Cahill of Australia celebrates after scoring a goal during the 2015 Asian Cup match between China PR and the Australian Socceroos at Suncorp Stadium on January 22, 2015 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

PRE-ASIAN Cup, the minimum benchmark was widely set as a semi-final appearance.

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Now that the Socceroos have got there, with wind in their sails, is it time to re-assess the expectations at this 2015 Asian Cup?

“For me, to get to the semi-finals, at home … it’s a wonderful achievement. They should feel very proud of themselves,” Fox Sports football expert Mark Bosnich said after the game.

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John Kosmina added: “The flow is there and the pattern of play is there.

“Can we re-adjust the goals now and say: can we make the final? It’s a possibility now.”

That possibility was created by the Socceroos’ legendary goal scorer Tim Cahill – his 48th minute bicycle kick will be replayed around the globe, while his trademark header for the second goal was his 20th goal with his head for his country.

The goal early in the second-half released the tension that was building after China’s resolute first-half against a nervy Australian outfit and was the catalyst for a second-half that sees the hosts into the final four with momentum and confidence.

We run the rule over the 2-0 win over China:

Mat Ryan stood tall yet again.

GOALKEEPER

Once again Mat Ryan stood tall, even if his saves mightn’t make the highlights reel or live long like his previous stops.

“(He’s had a) fantastic (tournament),” Bosnich said.

“I think him, along with the South Korean goalkeeper Jin-Hyeon Kim, have been the best goalkeepers in the tournament…

“It’s very difficult for a goalkeeper when you’ve done very little all game, your team’s gone 2-0 up but you’ve got to keep concentrating.

“One of these long range shots goes in, then you’ve got a scary last 10-15 minutes.

“Let’s just think what a difference it makes having a keeper in form and making top class saves.”

GRADE: A-

Trent Sainsbury was outstanding under pressure.

DEFENCE:

Missing Mathew Spiranovic, this was a terrific night out for the Socceroos’ back four and a night that might be remembered as Trent Sainsbury’s breakthrough performance.

“He was enormous tonight. Everything he did was quality. He took control tonight without Mat Spiranovic,” said John Kosmina.

“He was tight when he needed to be, conceded ground when he needed to be.

“He showed great leadership qualities tonight.

“He played against a very good striker tonight, who is very quick, and not once did he get the better of Trent Sainsbury.

“He could be a Socceroos stalwart for the next 10 years.”

The unit scrambled, made a number of blocks and recovered on the couple of occasions the Chinese got in behind.

Alex Wilkinson made a seamless transition back into the side, and made a crucial first-half scrambling tackle to bail out his captain’s turnover of possession.

Jason Davidson and Ivan Franjic also had a key role to play offensively, and as the game stretched in the second-half, they delivered with improved service from wide on each touchline.

Indeed, Davidson delivered the crucial ball that sealed the game.

“One of the reasons Jason Davidson would have played tonight is because of his crossing ability,” Aloisi said.

“China, against North Korea, struggled with balls in the box.”

GRADE: B+

MIDFIELD

Mile Jedinak and Mark Bresciano looked short of a gallop in the first-half, while Massimo Luongo was finding it difficult to get into the game.

In the second period, the Swindon man started to make more incisive runs forward as space opened up, Jedinak cut out his unforced errors and stayed out of the referee’s ire while Bresciano got into some more typical pockets of space – but will rue skying a chance that would have put the side 2-0 and sealed a beautiful team movement.

“I think Bresh had a few (good) moments but he was undercooked. And it showed,” Kosmina said.

“Had he had a few more minutes under his belt that (chance) might have gone in.”

China, like South Korea, cut off the supply in a claustrophobic narrow central corridor in the first period and the Socceroos looked unimaginative as a result.

Once Cahill settled the nerves and forced China to chase the game, space opened for the Roos to operate. The wide fullbacks helped, but so did Mathew Leckie and Robbie Kruse’s greater movement, to stretch and distract China’s defence.

“In the first-half we really struggled to find space because China were very compact. But what we did well in the second-half … we were able to stretch them,” Aloisi explained.

“That allowed Luongo to find space between the lines … Franjic can start to make a forward run … these were positions we couldn’t find in the first-half.

“We were able to do that time and time again because of that initial run by Kruse, facing forward, where the defence has to drop.”

Patience helps, too.

“Ange plays possession-based football because he knows it’s going to tire opponents out in the long run. Even though we didn’t create a lot in the first-half … eventually someone will fall asleep and you can open them up,” Aloisi said.

GRADE: B-

ATTACK

Tim Cahill. Thousands of words have been written like this before: what else is there to say?

There are few superlatives left to describe his contribution. If last year’s Puskas Award nomination for the goal against Netherlands wasn’t enough, this goal, again at a clutch moment, underscores that he is as deadly as ever.

“I’m not sure I can think of a better header of the ball in world football,” Bosnich mused.

Aloisi added: “We can go back to Alan Shearer, Les Ferdinand … but now, I can’t think of anyone better.

“The way he positions himself in the box is incredible.

“He’s ours.”

His world class finishing was ultimately the difference.

Again, Leckie and Kruse were dangerous, particularly as the game went on, while Nathan Burns and James Troisi both fashioned chances for themselves.

It creates that wave of confidence ahead of a bout with Japan or UAE.

Bosnich said: “We’ve created a lot of chances in the last two games. That’s why we weren’t overly concerned by the loss to South Korea because we created so many chances.”

GRADE: B

Originally published as Socceroos v China report card: Australia march on after impressing with all-round display