Praise for Socceroos striker Mathew Leckie after brace fires Australia to World Cup win
Already a handful for defenders with his pace, power and eye for goal, Socceroo Mathew Leckie is adding leadership skills to his list of talents.
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The numbers came thick and fast for Mathew Leckie, but one in particular underscored his value to the Socceroos.
Leckie was given the captain’s armband for the first time in Wednesday’s 3-0 win away to Kuwait that began Australia’s World Cup qualifying campaign in emphatic style.
The 28-year-old responded to becoming australia’s 61st captain with two goals, the 10th and 11th of his international career, but it has never been his goals that matter most to his national coaches.
Leckie is now officially one of the team’s leadership group, and earning his 61st cap took him past John Kosmina and close behind the likes of Brett Holman and Peter Wilson.
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If he plays in the remaining seven games of this round of qualifying for Qatar 2022, Leckie could be the 13th most capped Socceroo of all time by next June, and has time on his side to rise considerably further up the list.
Ange Postecoglou used to defend him fiercely for his pace and power, and his display against Kuwait showed why Arnold was so desperate to have a hamstrung Leckie involved at the Asian Cup in January.
“His effort (against Kuwait) was fantastic,” Arnold said, though he joked that the Hertha Berlin striker had scored “one and a half goals” after Jackson Irvine’s low cross deflected in off him.
“I’ve been building a leadership group after we lost two very important leaders (to retirement) in Timmy Cahill and Mile Jedinak.
“I wanted a group of five or six, and give them an opportunity to take control of the dressing room and set the culture.
“Leckie’s one of those, along with the likes of Aziz Behich and Trent Sainsbury. We’re in good shape, we should enjoy this win.”
Leckie’s second goal, also from close range, and a technically superb strike from Aaron Mooy established a 3-0 lead for Australia before halftime, one they were happy to defend in stifling heat during the second half.
“The boys showed a good mentality, a lot of concentration, those are the things you need playing in these conditions,” said Leckie. “It is very warm, so I think it comes down to the mental game.
“Three-nil away, it is never easy, but we got the job done.”
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The game had kicked off in 38C temperatures, and Arnold was thankful that the standalone nature of the game meant his squad had spent a week in Dubai getting at least partially used to the weather.
“If we’d had to play in Australia first and then fly here, arriving a couple of days beforehand, it would have been even tougher,” he said.
“With the week in Dubai you can acclimatise to some extent, and at least try to get used to the weather — though you can’t convince me the Kuwaitis like it any more than we do.
“They ran out of legs and it was a very professional performance from us in the second half.”