Olyroos one step closer to Tokyo 2020 after 2-2 draw with South Korea

The Olyroos are on the verge of getting through to the last round of the qualifiers for the Tokyo Olympics, after a momentous 2-2 draw with South Korea in Cambodia.

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The Olyroos are through to the last round of the qualifiers for the Tokyo Olympics, after a momentous 2-2 draw with South Korea in Cambodia.

Though South Korea topped the group by a single goal from Graham Arnold’s men, and proceed automatically to the final qualifying tournament next January, Australia go with them as the best runners-up across the 11 groups.

The top three teams at next January’s AFC U-23 Championship in Thailand will also qualify for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, along with hosts Japan, but for now Arnold was keen to praise his team for getting this far.

The Australian Olympic side had never played together before a week-long preparatory camp, but ended up scoring 14 goals across three games.

Olyroos striker Nicholas D'Agostino. Picture: AFP

“Over the whole tournament I couldn’t be prouder of the boys,” Arnold said. “They have been away together for 16, 17 days and they haven’t really had a day off, they’ve worked really hard and I am very proud to be their coach.”

“I thought the first half was clearly one of our best halves of football [in qualifying]. When you are a new team and you are in a new environment, you play in bits and pieces and it is difficult to keep everything at a high standard for the full 90 minutes.

“I thought our first 55 minutes [against Korea Republic] was outstanding, and we’ve achieved the purpose of the trip which was to advance through to the next phase in Thailand,” he said.

The final game against Korea had always been seen as the hardest, but Australia could hardly have hoped for a better start, cruising to an unexpected two-goal lead inside 24 minutes that was no more than they merited for a controlled, thoughtful opening.

Graham Arnold’s Olyroos are one stop closer to the Olympics. Picture: Getty Images

Playing high up the field, the Olyroos pressed the Koreans perceptively – and took the lead on 16 minutes when Lachlan Wales’s astute run down the right opened space for a low cross that Nicholas D’Agostino turned in from close range.

The Brisbane attacker had his second soon after, running onto Alex Gersbach’s astute through ball and firing in at the near post.

If goalkeeper Jun-su Ahn was at fault for that, he quickly made amends with a flying save to turn aside Reno Piscopo’s shot from near the penalty spot, while Riley McGree unbelievably headed wide from in front of goal, unmarked from D’Agostino’s cross.

They were misses to make the Olyroos fear retribution, and so it proved. After D’Agostino’s second, the Koreans went into a huddle to refind their mojo, and they replied instantly when Jeon Sejin’s shot from the edge of the box hit Harry Souttar and rebounded kindly for Cho Youngwook to score from close range.

Halftime changed the complexion of an absorbing game completely, South Korea suddenly completely in the ascendant as Australia retreated deeper and deeper.

Goalkeeper Tom Glover escaped with a horrible mistake, fumbling a low shot and grateful to Souttar for a despairing tackle to save his blushes. But Glover made amends with a flying save soon after from Sejin, and the same player then hit the post with a waspish angled drive as Korea piled on the pressure.

Eventually it told, a long ball forward to Bo-seob Kim turned back for Sejin to shoot low into the bottom corner from 20m.

In the heat of the evening the draw suited both sides, the last few minutes played out as a game of mutual keep-ball at a gentle tempo.