In the end, it was perfectly imperfect.
A goal that almost didn’t happen, off the non-preferred right boot of an unfashionable left-back, at the end of a game nobody was enjoying, which nearly (but not quite) delivered a sixth consecutive World Cup appearance for the Socceroos – capping off a qualification process that started badly for the Socceroos and, in truth, never got particularly good.
Aziz Behich, the hero for the Socceroos.Credit: Getty Images
Thursday night’s clash with Japan grimly tested the patience of all those who watched it. Then it was richly rewarded, with another special chapter written in the history of this special team, and another World Cup to look forward to.
Sort of. All but.
“If we were there, you would write that we’ve qualified for the World Cup. I don’t think anyone in this room will write that,” coach Tony Popovic said post-match.
“Will you write that, that we’ve qualified?
“OK: all but. But you can’t say it yet.”
The Socceroos celebrate.Credit: Getty Images
The emotional release at the end had to be ever so slightly restrained because the job is only 99 per cent done. We can say with supreme confidence that Australia will be at the 2026 World Cup, but until Wednesday, it is not mathematically certain, which is why Popovic was firmly affixing the lid.
In the fair dinkum department, however, you can start booking your tickets to North America because the Socceroos have a goal difference buffer of +10 over Saudi Arabia, the team they’ll face in next week’s final World Cup qualifier in Jeddah, and there’s no universe in which that gets erased and Australia loses second spot in Group C.
So rejoice – and prepare to rejoice again on Wednesday morning (AEST).
Aziz Behich strikes at the death to put the Socceroos in front and put Australia on the verge of a World Cup berth.Credit: Paramount
In the meantime, Aziz Behich, please step forward and take your place in the pantheon of Australian heroes – right next to John Aloisi, Josh Kennedy and Andrew Redmayne, other Socceroo icons who have emerged from troubled times as qualification heroes.
Though the rest of the match will be quickly forgotten, Behich’s 90th-minute goal will be forever remembered. It came from nowhere: an inboard pass from the right from Jason Geria to fellow substitute Riley McGree, who turned beautifully and broke into space in Australia’s penalty area.
But his touch seemed too heavy, and the ball seemed destined to roll out for a goal kick. So he chased it, and cut the ball back to the penalty spot, picking out … well, nobody initially, but Behich went after it, beat a Japanese defender to it, and curled it in with his right foot.
“It was just about getting myself in a position into the box,” Behich said post-match.
“One thing that the boss said at half-time was, we’ve still got to work hard, it’ll be tough to break down, but we’ll get our opportunity if we stick to our structure and get numbers into the box – and we’ll get one opportunity, and we’ll take it.
“I just tried to get myself into that back post area, and as soon as it sat and came off my foot, I felt I hit it pretty nicely. I actually didn’t see the ball hit the net, I just saw the crowd erupt and players start running everywhere, and that’s when I looked at the goal and was like – let’s go. It’s a beautiful moment. I’m grateful that I was the one to hit the back of the net, but the boys out there tonight had to work so hard.”
Behich is one of Australia’s most underappreciated players. He has spent most of his career trying to escape the memory of the 2010 A-League grand final, when he missed an open goal that could have won it for Melbourne Victory. Capped 80 times for the Socceroos, he is hardly the kind of guy who sells tickets or customised jerseys, and for a few years now, it’s as if a good section of fans have been waiting for Jordan Bos or someone else to take his spot on the left side of defence so he can be forgotten.
But Behich, 34, has a surplus of ticker, which is why teammates and coaches love him, why he never gives up, and why he is still such an important part of the national team. On Saturday night, he captained Melbourne City to an A-League championship, but that was just the entrée to the main dish: his first international goal since 2012, which sealed Australia’s first win over Japan since 2009.
“With what’s on the line for us, what we’ve had to go through this campaign, and obviously playing against a nation that we haven’t beaten I don’t know how many years … we’re always the underdog and always expected to lose, but we always have belief within those four walls,” he said.
“This is right up there in my green and gold career.”
So to the performance. The good thing is it doesn’t matter – but it wasn’t great. Having already qualified, Japan fielded a second-string team but still utterly dominated the first half, and mostly dominated the second half. Physically, at times, they monstered Australia. In terms of technique, the gulf was frightening.
But for all their possession and territory, they managed just one shot on target for the whole match. The Socceroos did what Popovic teams tend to do, particularly in Asia: defend well, remain disciplined and focused, and strike when the opportunity is there.
Popovic now has over 12 months to find the missing pieces to Australia’s game. There are more than a few, and they are very much needed for them to be competitive at a World Cup.
In full context, though, he has done a wonderful job. When he was parachuted in as Graham Arnold’s replacement, this team was in crisis, in shambles, and direct qualification looked in serious danger.
He has achieved it – well, “all but”, for now – while also restoring pride in the jersey, regenerating his squad with new faces and ideas, and laying down a sturdy foundation which he and his players can now build upon.
“It’s been a really intense period since I’ve come in, but everyone’s embraced what we’re aiming to do, and we’re very close now to achieving our goal,” Popovic said.
“We know there’s room to grow and room to improve. But a lot of people have sat here talking about what ifs, about playing in Japan and not winning in a very long time.
“We’ve done something special tonight.”
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