‘A triumph of mentality over pedigree’: What the world said about the Socceroos

“There was still time for one more echo from the past. In the final seconds, the ball broke loose in the Argentina box and Australia’s second half substitute Garang Kuol, who has never started a senior game for his club, Central Coast Mariners, or his country and is the child of refugees, found the goal briefly at his mercy and history beckoning.

Kuol is only 18 years and 79 days old, which makes him the youngest player ever to play in the knockout stages of the World Cup, beating the record held by Pele*.

Martinez saved Kuol’s shot but the symbolism was hard to ignore. Time passes, old idols leave us and new legends are born.”

(Editors note: Kuol was the youngest since Pele, who played at 17 in 1958)

“Park the ute”, you might call these tactics

The Telegraph (UK), Oliver Brown

“We were over 8,000 miles from Buenos Aires, but the cacophony that the travelling fans created on a sultry night in Qatar would not have seemed out of place at Boca Juniors. The chants of “Messi, Messi” were overwhelming for Australian players who had never experienced an atmosphere this febrile.

The matches all across the pitch were lopsided: take Messi being bundled into touch by Aziz Behich of Dundee United, or Sevilla full-back Marcos Acuna being scythed down by Jackson Irvine, formerly of Ross County. Given the mismatch between Argentina’s galaxy of all-stars and a Socceroos line-up whose clubs were scattered everywhere from Middlesbrough to the Central Coast, it was a minor miracle that they resisted for as long as they did.

It was one of the great historical quirks that the green-and-gold had vanquished Argentina once before, 4-1 in Sydney on their first meeting in 1988. Diego Maradona was absent that day, prompting one travelling reporter to quip: “Maradona is half our team – and the other half, too.” The same verdict could apply to Messi’s significance to this side. Every time the ball fell within his orbit here, the air crackled with electricity. Every time he quickened his stride, Australia’s back four swarmed to shut him down.

“Park the ute”, you might call these tactics. It drew derision from Argentina fans, given that their early efforts at attack tended to fizzle out into risk-averse back-passes to goalkeeper Matt Ryan. But these Australians seldom purport to be anything other than what they are. As manager Graham Arnold put it: “I know the players who will die for the team and die for each other.” Theirs is a resilience that has brought their anointment at home as a golden generation.

But there is only so long any players can hold out with barely 20 per cent possession. For all their agricultural tackling, which ensured two quick first-half bookings, they were powerless to fend off Messi in full flight.”

Up against gods of the game

The Scotsman, Moira Gordon

“In defying the odds, Australia spent their time in Qatar proving that team work, togetherness, solid preparation, pride, heart and endeavour can pepper holes in perceived limitations and help exceed expectations.

But, when up against gods of the game, rather than mere mortals, sometimes those commodities are just not good enough.

Bookending marvellous results against Tunisia and Denmark – the first time they had registered two wins at a World Cup – they came up short against France in their opening game as the feints and pace of Kylian Mbappe gave them a difficult 90 minutes and then rounded off their tournament with a Lionel Messi-inspired defeat against Argentina.

But if they walked off the pitch with heads spinning from their experience against the Europeans, they would have strode out of the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan with heads held high.“

A triumph of mentality over pedigree

The Times, Johnathan Northcroft

“Harry Souttar’s previous start at club level involved marking a teenager called Rico Richards, in any empty ground in Kidderminster, for Stoke Under 21 v West Brom Under 21. Here, he was asked to police the world’s greatest player but began his work confidently and comfortably, imposing his giant body in jousts, reading situations well and even bringing the ball out of defence. He epitomised Australia, a remarkable team, remarkable story. A triumph of mentality over pedigree.

Here, in the last 16, where Germany couldn’t tread, was a collection of A League and Scottish Premiership players; and not big Scottish Premiership players but triers at places like St Mirren, Dundee United and Hearts, and yet players who played like they belonged.

Players who stayed calm, kept focused and covered every blade of grass for each other. They stuck to their game plan and their 4-4-2 guns.”

Rousing Reception

New York Times, Tariq Panar

“At one end of the field Argentina’s players are communing with their fans, while Australia’s vanquished players are getting a rousing reception from theirs, and deservedly so. That frantic finish came from nowhere. Australia showed once more that nothing can be taken for granted at this drama-soaked World Cup.“

Most intelligent game

La Nacion (Argentina), Lucas Vitantonio

“Perhaps he has not been the most brilliant Messi of the Argentine team. But a great player has had too many memorable games. This, in the occasions that seem to be the farewell to his career, he does not have the ability to unbalance in speed of other times.

But you have to allow yourself to reflect, although emotions can lead the tone to exaggeration: it was his most intelligent game. More than that: the wisest. And the match in which he showed the most bravery in his entire life with the light blue and white shirt.“

Messi rubbed the lamp

La Capital (Argentina), Lucas Vitantonio

“La Scaloneta was gaining confidence before the disciplined kangaroos and was only able to untie the knot of the process with an “adventure” by its greatest star: Lionel Messi.

In ten, in his thousandth match, with genius, he knocked down the Australian retaining wall, which until then had looked compact and had never suffered the siege of the Albiceleste.

At 35 minutes Messi rubbed the lamp. He showed that he is the best in the world. And that he never “lets down” the team or his fans.

The man from Rosario captured control of Nicolás Otamendi in the rival area and had lucidity to filter the ball through the sea of ​​Australian legs, to locate it at ground level, to place it, at the far post of Mat Ryan.“

The meeting went crazy

Eurosport.fr , Damien Dorso

“Argentina mainly benefited from an opposing boost with a failed control from Australian goalkeeper Mathew Ryan against the high pressing of Rodrygo De Paul and an easy break goal for the biting Alvarez (2-0, 57th).

Back to the wall, the Australian coach Graham Arnold launched all his attackers and the reaction of his players was rewarded with a reduction in the score finally attributed to Fernandez against his side (2-1, 76th). Suddenly revived, the meeting went crazy.

Behich made a fantastic raid towards the Argentinian surface (81st). Lautaro Martinez answered him but above all missed the target (89th) and stumbled on Ryan (90th + 3, 90th + 4) while Messi aimed badly (90th + 4). Argentinian goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez had the last word against Garang Kuol (90th + 7).

Argentina are already doing better than in 2018 by reaching the quarter-finals, but they dream of going much further.”

Fairytale tournament is now over

The Independent (UK), Ben Burrows

“The reaction said it all, Emiliano Martinez sprawled, spent, his very last drop given in the cause of his country. Nicolas Otamendi knew it too, collapsed alongside his goalkeeper, a win and a place in the last eight of this World Cup only then finally and mercifully secured.

It had taken every effort, every sinew of the two-time winners, dreamers of a third in a fortnight’s time, to survive an onslaught from an Australia that never thought they would be here at all.

“Their fairytale tournament is now over, the stadium they qualified for Qatar in against Peru back in June, now the scene of their exit from it.”