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The Al Janoub Stadium was a sea of red long before kick off and the Tunisian fans made their presence known for 90 tough minutes, but it was the small band of fans clad in gold that were cheering loudest after Australia recorded their first World Cup victory since 2010.
In fact, it was the first time the country has kept a clean sheet at the World Cup since their very first tournament back in 1974.
There were jubilant but restrained scenes after the final whistle, with Mitch Duke’s first half headed enough to secure an historic win for Australia.
Before kick off there were a few raised eyebrows when Graham Arnold elected to name the same staring XI as he did against France, save for the one enforced change that saw Fran Karacic replace the injured Nathaniel Atkinson at right back.
While others were calling for change, Arnold stayed loyal to his men. Live by the sword, die by the sword. He put faith in them that they could reproduce the start that saw them take the lead against France, and they did just that.
Tunisia brought the heat early, both their fans and the players on the pitch. Every time anyone in the Socceroos blue away kit put boot on ball the jeers from the partisan Tunisian crowd were deafening; the players would scarcely be able to hear each other on the pitch.
It’s in those moments that knowledge of systems and knowing your teammate – where he will run, how he will angle his pass – is paramount. It’s akin to playing on autopilot.
After surviving the early heat from the Tunisians the Australians slowly played their way into the game. Mooy and Irvine started controlling the midfield. Karacic, who came in for Atkinson, was deployed high up the field and was looking dangerous down the right while Harry Souttar and Kye Rowles were looking increasingly comfortable.
The goal came as Australia started to assert its dominance on the game, with Mitch Duke, a much maligned figure among Australian fans, showing a delicate touch that belies his battering ram reputation, to lay the ball off for Riley McGree.
With numbers streaming forward, McGree played the ball out wide for Craig Goodwin whose cross, courtesy of a small deflection, found its way onto the head of Duke who carefully guided the ball to the back post and into the back of the net.
Taking that lead into half time it was perhaps the most controlled and dominant half of football Australia has ever produced at a World Cup, and the first time they had ever taken a lead into the break.
The second half descended into a bit more a scrap, with the desperation of the Australians on full display as they battled to keep the Tunisians at bay. Harry Souttar was immense at the back and showed why Arnold was so desperate to get him back into the side after recovering from his ACL injury, while Irvine and Mooy in midfield didn’t stop fighting.
It may have required some of Arnold’s much fabled ‘Aussie DNA’ but there is no one in green and gold that will care. It’s now all on the line against Denmark.
WHAT WE LEARNED
Karacic the right man for the job: Whether Nathaniel Atkinson recovers in time to be fit for the final game against Denmark, after his display against the Tunisians, Fran Karacic has surely back that right back position his own. Defensively he was sound, while he also provided an attacking threat going forward.
Duke proves his worth: Mitch Duke is often typecast as nothing more than a battering ram at the point of the attack. And while there is no doubt that is very much part of his role, he showed in his work in the build up to the goal that he is capable of much more. His aerial threat is well known, but he is probably the best target man in this Socceroos side that can bring others into the game around him.
‘Aussie DNA’ is alive and well: It’s a phrase that is easy to mock, especially given its repetition from within the Australian camp, but there is a spirit and togetherness with this Australian team. It’s there when Craig Goodwin says they are always underestimated. It’s there when Martin Boyle, ruled out through injury, stays with the team and is the first one on the pitch to celebrate with the team. Australian teams and athletes of all persuasions get strength from being the underdog and being written off and that is very much the case with this Socceroos side.
WHAT THEY SAID
Graham Arnold – Australian coach
“I’m hugely proud of the boys, they showed that great fighting Aussie spirit.
“Our fight and our grit and our determination, the old Aussie way, was very important tonight.
“We said to the boys ‘let’s put a smile on the nation’s face’. I can imagine the celebrations at home. I think there’ll be a few hangovers in the morning. But I won’t have one.”
Craig Goodwin – Australian winger
“First win for Australia in 12 years at the World Cup, we said from the start we don’t want to be here just to experience the World Cup, we want to do something special. So it’s fantastic to get that win and put us in a good position leading into the game against Denmark.
“We worked hard at training about putting balls into the box and getting into right areas. Dukey did fantastic with the header. I hope that we’ve given the Australian public and all the people at Federation Square something vetter than the last goal.
“Everyone who is involved in this squad is ready to fight for everything. We knew that this game against (Tunisia) would be more of a fight than the France game and it’ll be more of a fight than the Denmark game. We knew there would be a lot of duels, a lot of 50-50s and you saw on the bench, I think we celebrated every 50-50 tackle as much as we did the goal.
“We need to recover now, from tomorrow, we’ll enjoy tonight we’ll enjoy the win, and from tomorrow we’ll get ready for Denmark.
“Every Australian team in history has been underestimated. That will always be the case from where we are, that will always be the case in the future. But it’s something I think helps us and something we relish, being the underdog. Every Australian sporting team relishes that and we believe in ourselves and what we’re doing. We will fight to the very end to get the result against Denmark and try and put our name up in lights and do the country proud.”
WHAT COMES NEXT
Australia have kept their hopes alive and depending on the result of the France vs Denmark game later this evening, could go into the final game against Denmark needing just a draw to advance. Australia will return to the Al Janoub Stadium again for that encounter knowing that their destiny is in their hands.
Photo: twitter/Socceroos
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