The Socceroos pulled off just their third World Cup win in 18 matches with a thrilling 1-0 victory over Tunisia in Saturday.
The victory was Australia’s first win at a men’s World Cup since 2010, while it was also the Socceroos’ first clean sheet since 1974.
Foxsports.com.au breaks down every Aussie’s performance in the Socceroos Player Ratings!
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Mat Ryan (c): 9
Safe hands between the sticks. The majority of the shots in his direction weren’t overly difficult, but Ryan was courageous and decisive – and flawless when it counted.
“He has come out for crosses and held onto them. He’s been fantastic,” Harry Kewell said in commentary on SBS. There was one occasion that wasn’t the case – an extremely nervous moment just before halftime when Ryan raced out of his goal to catch a long lob, only to drop it under contact with a Socceroos defender and Tunisia attacker. But he was fortunate to have a foul awarded in his favour.
DEFENDERS
Fran Karacic: 6.5
Having missed the first match, Karacic stepped in to fill the shoes of the injured Nathaniel Atkinson but struggled to get up to speed in the opening minutes. He gave the ball away too often with poor passing – including in Australia’s defensive third – or by dwelling on the ball too long. But after a shaky start, he settled into the match well. Got into good positions out wide, whipping in a couple of dangerous crosses – and his handy knack for long throws. Taken off in the 75th minute as Graham Arnold brought on the closers.
Harry Souttar: 9.5
A performance that will go down in Socceroos history – and could earn him a move to a heavyweight club sooner rather than later. He made a number of incredible goal-saving blocks, the first coming five minutes before halftime, and another equally brilliant sliding tackle in the closing minutes. Unbeatable in the air and exceptional with his passing from the back, including setting up the only goal. He copped a number of whacks, and joked after the match:
“I’m going to be feeling sore tonight, tomorrow morning.”
It’s just his third start in senior football since returning from an 11-month absence after tearing his ACL.
“Obviously it was an absolute battle out there,” he added.
Backing up after a brutal onslaught from France, this was his finest hour.
Kye Rowles: 8.5
The combination of Souttar and Rowles is not just the long-term future of Australia’s defence – it is already delivering in spades. Rowles was the perfect foil for his fellow centre-half, racking up clearances (10) and interceptions (4) galore – both game-highs. One horror moment in the second half had Aussie hearts in mouths when he slipped as a ball was played back to him, gifting Tunisia the ball – but Souttar saved him. I’m deducting half a point for that almost-disastrous error, but it was truly an incredible effort once more.
Aziz Behich: 8.5
The best defender against France, Behich backed up with another sterling performance. His work off the ball was absolutely crucial in creating Australia’s goal, while he never looked like being beaten in defence.
Souttar’s superhuman effort saves Roos | 00:36
MIDFIELDERS
Aaron Mooy: 9
When you talk about Aaron Mooy, the focus is almost always on his passing, his vision and distribution, and his metronomic ability to run the midfield. He was the same today, but it was his gutsy defence which stood out most of all. From the first minute, he set the tone with his intensity, making crunching tackles and pouncing on every loose ball. Australia dominated the midfield, and Mooy was at the heart of that.
Jackson Irvine: 8.5
Similar to Mooy, Irvine’s defensive workrate was truly elite. At times, he toed the line between aggression and losing control, but was always on the right side – which was crucial, since a yellow card would have forced him to miss the final group game. Played his typical role as a key link in the build-up of Australia’s attacks, with the best passing accuracy of any Australian starter by some distance.
Riley McGree: 7
His midfield partners will claim the limelight, but McGree was quietly outstanding. Ran hard, was creative with the ball and in his movement off it. Subbed off after 64 minutes.
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ATTACKERS
Mat Leckie: 8
His start to the game left a little to be desired, with some poor touches and hesitation in the final third. But when he got going, he struck fear into the hearts of defenders. Raced up and down the pitch – defending tirelessly, marauding down the flank in attack – so much that his boots will likely be so worn out they need replacing. Eventually, he came off in the 85th minute, having put in a monster shift.
Mitch Duke: 9.5
Graham Arnold backed his 31-year-old veteran striker to deliver – and boy, didn’t he just. His goal was fabulous, an extremely difficult flick-on after a deflection. Having started the attacking move with his trademark holdup play, he worked hard to earn his reward and end with the ball in the net.
Usually a firebrand, he managed to keep his emotions in check when he was fouled and then had the ball thrown into his head when lying on the ground. Having picked up a yellow card against France, his composure in that moment was invaluable.
Harry Kewell said on SBS: “What a performance by Mitch Duke. He led the line. It was hard for him. He created chances when he had the opportunity to go one-on-one against his defender and got his rewards. But the way he held the ball up and worked and got in and amongst the Tunisians, he led the line (perfectly).”
Substituted in the 64th minute, having worked himself to the bone.
Craig Goodwin: 7.5
Having scored against France, Goodwin was at the heart of the opener once again this time around. He bombed in cross after cross – perhaps a few too many – but it paid off when one was deflected in Duke’s direction. Worked immensely hard, like Leckie on the other flank, and was substituted five minutes before time.
SUBSTITUTES
Ajdin Hrustic: 7 (64th minute)
Came on and showed his class on the ball with some tidy touches in tricky situations, and some good defensive hustle. There were a few signs of rust, having recovered from injury to get his first World cup minutes off the bench. If fully fit, he could start against Denmark.
Jamie Maclaren: 7 (64th minute)
After Mitch Duke had delivered a masterclass in pressing and holdup play, Maclaren came off the bench and gave the defenders a different set of problems, with his running behind the lines. Just minutes after he came off the pine, he picked up the ball and delivered a wonderful cross that was mere inches away from an unmarked Leckie. But he was equally willing to work hard to win the ball back.
Milos Degenek: 7.5 (75th minute)
The veteran defender slotted into right back to replace Karacic, and used every bit of his experience and desperation to shut down the dangerous attack down Tunisia’s left flank. Degenek, normally a centre-back, didn’t look uncomfortable at all despite being deployed out wide.
Awer Mabil: 4 (85th minute)
His first action in the heat of battle was to be beaten for pace as Tunisia counterattacked from deep, Mabil looking as though he was only jogging back to his own box as his opposite fullback raced half the field into Australia’s box. It wasn’t the only time he was caught out on defence in a poor cameo. He was also poor going forward, wasting a chance when a simple cross could have handed a teammate a tap-in. He turned back inside and gave away the ball, when he could easily have jogged to the corner and wasted time.
Keanu Baccus: 7 (85th minute)
A dog chasing a bone, Baccus brought plenty of grunt to the Socceroos defence just as Tunisia looked likely to level the scores. Never afraid of a tough tackle, he hounded the midfielders and saw out the win.
