The Socceroos have continued their perfect start in their pursuit to qualify for a fourth consecutive world cup, claiming a 1-0 win over the United Arab Emirates.
They were able to overcome the sweltering heat and 40,000 strong UAE crowd to take a crucial away win.
It was Tim Cahill’s 48th goal for Australia that broke the deadlock in the 75th minute of a tightly contested affair.
Job done. 💪💪 #UAEvAUS #GoSocceroos pic.twitter.com/PjDjOHvNdf
— Caltex Socceroos (@Socceroos) September 6, 2016
Socceroos head coach Ange Postecoglou was full of praise for his side who put in an “unbelievable amount of effort in difficult conditions.
“Playing away from home is always a challenge. Conditions, the opponents, the crowd.
“We’ve worked really hard to create a group that really believes what we’re about and were prepared to take the game to the opposition”, he said.
Tim Cahill was once again Australia’s hero, scoring just four minutes after being subbed on in the 71st minute.
Amazing team performance. @bradsmith_94 what a cross brother 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽 pic.twitter.com/s3ucnb9FAw
— TIM CAHILL (@Tim_Cahill) September 6, 2016
Cahill, Australia’s highest ever goal scorer, said he wants opposition teams to be “fearful” of him.
“I want them to give me some space and I’ve earned that respect over the last 10 years, and I’m not going sit back, I’m really going to push as hard as I can. This result, every time we put on the jersey, means so much”, he said.
The Aussies now sit atop of Group B in the Asian qualifying groups, with two wins from two games.
They will be tested in their upcoming games, taking on undefeated Saudi Arabia and traditional rivals Japan in consecutive games.
The Socceroos will take on Saudi Arabia in Jeddah on October 7 at 04:45 AEST.
[…] Originally published on The City Journal. […]