The Socceroos are thriving on their underdog status at the World Cup, with breakout star Craig Goodwin admitting the doubters are fuelling Australia’s campaign in Qatar.
The Adelaide United midfielder has been a revelation for Graham Arnold’s side, scoring the sole goal against France and providing the assist for Mitch Duke’s match-winning goal in the crucial 1-0 win over Tunisia.
The Socceroos are on the cusp of an unlikely berth in the Round of 16, with a draw against Denmark on Thursday (AEDT) likely enough to make them just the second Australian side to get through the group stage.
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It would be a remarkable feat for a Socceroos side that has largely been written off, both at home and abroad, but Goodwin is not surprised expectations were so low.
“Every Australian team in history has been underestimated,” Goodwin said after the Tunisia win.
“That will always be the case from where we are and that will always be the case I think in the future.
“It’s something that I think helps us and something that we relish, being the underdog. I think every Australian sporting team relishes that and we’re no different.
“We believe in ourselves and what we’re doing and we will fight to the very end to get the result against Denmark and try and put our names up in lights and do the nation proud.”
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An example of the dismissiveness aimed towards the Socceroos came earlier in the week when prominent French journalist Julien Laurens was discussing the World Cup expansion to 48 teams from 2026.
“That means more teams like Costa Rica, more teams like Australia … and I just don’t think it’s good for football,” Laurens said in an interview on BBC Radio.
The comment hasn’t aged well, with both Australia and Costa Rica notching impressive wins over the past 48 hours.
Told of the slight, defender Awer Mabil said the Socceroos had already let their results do the talking.
“We don’t have to make any comment. they can just look at the result (against Tunisia,” Mabil said.
“If they bring in more teams, maybe it means we can win more games.”
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Goodwin, meanwhile, is determined to make sure the Socceroos haven’t surprised the football world for the last time in Qatar.
“Arnie said in the circle after the game to everyone there — enjoy the moment, enjoy it now, enjoy it tonight and then from tomorrow we prepare for Denmark,” he said.
“Because we don’t want to be here just to experience the World Cup.
“We want to go as far as we can and do the best we possibly can.
“We believe that we can qualify for the knockout stage and that’s what we’ll be preparing for before the game against Denmark.”
