FIFA World Cup qualifier: Australia beat Thailand — but only just

THE the 45 shots to seven count is every bit as agonising as it reads, on an agonising night for the Socceroos’ World Cup dreams.

Ange Postecoglou knows how close the Socceroos came to blowing it. (Michael Dodge/Getty Images)

IT is a natural reaction to celebrate a goal.

So Tomi Juric had every right to head for the corner flag after glancing home a pinpoint Aaron Mooy cross to open the scoring.

But Tuesday night wasn’t the occasion for that.

And after enduring one of the most frustrating shifts at the office imaginable it was telling that no one followed Juric to the corner.

FRUSTRATION: Socceroos scrape past Thailand

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There was no time to celebrate Tomi Juric’s vital goal. (Scott Barbour/Getty Images)

Two players followed the ball into the net and rushed it back to the middle to try increase the lead further.

Juric quickly realised the need to do that too and retreated fast, just like Thailand did for much of the game.

Tuesday night was a horror show straight out of the FIFA video game playbook for a Socceroos side chasing much-needed goals.

The Socceroos were the consummate gamer playing on beginner mode with the “ultra attacking” button locked in from minute one.

The only problem was that this gamer found every way imaginable to live up to their mate’s annoying tag of being “the worst finisher ever”.

Ange Postecoglou knows how close the Socceroos came to blowing it. (Michael Dodge/Getty Images)

You know you’re better than that though and this was full of hard luck stories.

Mooy, Tim Cahill and Tom Rogic all hit the post and there were several other shots that went just wide or were cleared off the line.

But the 45 shots to seven count is every bit as agonising as it reads.

“I think four or five goals wouldn’t have been enough to satisfy what we did tonight,” Juric said on Fox Sports.

“It was just one of those nights where the ball wouldn’t go in. It was frustrating.”

Coach Ange Postecoglou said he hadn’t needed to stress to his side the need to “win well” — in other words, score heaps — because they always try to win well.

But the players clearly had the message anyway.

When the ball went wide for an early Thailand goal kick Juric rushed over to it and took it to the Thai goalkeeper to save time.

Likewise, at the other end, Mat Ryan always moved the ball on quickly.

When you’re stuck in ultra attacking mode you’re also prone to giving up chances, and so it wasn’t a huge surprise when the hosts were made to pay with a Thailand sucker punch late on.

But it was again telling that when Mat Leckie scored what was, ultimately, the winner, the players and the crowd were left baying for more blood.

As we knew would be the case going into the game, the feeling at the end could only be described as weird.

You wouldn’t think the Socceroos had won the game. (Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

Thailand’s players were disappointed, but several Socceroos also slumped to the turf knowing they had spurned the opportunity to score more vital goals.

“It can be a cruel game sometimes,” Postecoglou said.

“We hit the post three times, had a couple cleared off the line. It is a game of inches.

“I can’t fault the players, they did exactly what they needed to do tonight, they took the game to the opponent, we just needed a little bit of luck.”

Originally published as FIFA World Cup qualifier: Australia beat Thailand — but only just