Socceroos finally have luck on their side again in 5-1 thumping of Indonesia in World Cup qualifier

Luck has rarely been on Australia’s side in the beautiful game but it arrived at the perfect time during a 5-1 thumping of Indonesia in a World Cup qualifier both teams desperately needed to win.

Lewis Miller celebrates his goal for the Socceroos. Picture: Getty Images

No-one should ever begrudge the Socceroos a little slice of good fortune.

The blue collar workers of the country’s football codes, the Socceroos have always earned their stripes the hard way, scraping for anything they can get in the biggest sport on the planet against nations with far more players and more money than they could ever dream of.

Luck has rarely been on Australia’s side in the beautiful game but it arrived at the perfect time during Thursday’s 5-1 thumping of Indonesia in a World Cup qualifier both teams desperately needed to win.

The Socceroos could easily have found themselves 1-0 down had Indonesian defender Kevin Diks not made a complete hash of an early penalty, slamming the ball into the woodwork.

But after struggling to score through their first six matches in Asian qualifying, Indonesia’s stuff up turned out to be just the lucky break the Socceroos needed.

Jackson Irvine scored a double for the Socceroos. Picture: Getty Images

Almost immediately after, Australia got a penalty and Martin Boyle calmly stepped forward and scored from the spot to give the Socceroos the early lead to open the floodgates.

Two minutes later, winger Nishan Velupillay scored. Then 10 minutes before halftime, Jackson Irvine made it 3-0 after he drove his first shot straight at the goalkeeper then found the back of the net with his second shot after the ball fortuitously ricocheted back to his feet.

Lewis Miller made it 4-0 early in the second term before Ole Romenij pulled one back for the visitors at the end and Irvine scored his second just before the final whistle.

Craig Goodwin looks for support. Picture: Getty Images

The relief among the Socceroos’ players and their supporters tells you everything you need to know about where the team is at right now.

Indonesia are not Brazil or Germany or France or even South Korea, yet this was still not a guaranteed win after the same teams drew 0-0 in Jakarta just six months ago.

Unlike our cricketers, rugby teams, golfers, tennis players, swimmers and motor racing drivers, neither the Socceroos or the Matildas have never made it to the top of the world.

They’ve collected Oceania and Asian titles but the holy grail remains as far away as ever and one thing hasn’t changed.

The Socceroos will need more than just good luck to contend at next year’s FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The brutal reality is they are still just happy to be a part of the circus and on that account, this was a win to savour.

Indonesia's Thom Haye vies for the ball with Australia's Jackson Irvine. Picture: AFP

The victory cemented Australia’s spot in second place in their Asian qualifying group with three games to go. The top two qualify automatically so things are trending well.

Qualifying for the World Cup is nothing to be sneezed at either.

Australia went 32 years before ending the drought in 2006 and have appeared at every tournament since.

But they will need to improve sharply if they want to do more than just make up the numbers next year.

The hard work is just starting for new coach Tony Popovic.

To go further, the Socceroos will need to be bold and select players who have that same X-factor which Tim Cahill, Harry Kewell, Mark Viduka and John Aloisi brought to the team. They can count their blessings for now, but Australia needs to be braver and more ambitious if they want to go further.