Socceroos Show Their Mettle To Grab Point

Sydney Morning Herald

Thursday March 27, 2008

Michael Cockerill in Kunming

China 0

Australia 0

IT was a golden point for Australia forged in the white heat of battle in Kunming last night. The scoreless draw against China - earned with a penalty save by Mark Schwarzer - provided ample evidence the Socceroos have the character to make a fist of this World Cup campaign.

Against the odds, and in spite of the altitude, a patched-up side showed enormous commitment and discipline to graft out a result which - depending on the outcome of Iraq's match early this morning (AEDT) - might still leave the Socceroos at the top of the group. The encouraging news is that, on this evidence, Australia have the better of China, who must now come to Sydney for the final match of the group stage at the end of June.

By then qualification for the next phase might already have been achieved, and, on reflection, this point in Kunming could be viewed as a priceless one. Playing without a genuine striker, perhaps for the first time in history, Australia were always at long odds to score, making a clean sheet a priority. It was achieved, not without some anxious moments but with impressive purpose and composure.

In the end, the Socceroos can thank keeper Schwarzer for securing the draw, his 89th-minute penalty save deflating Chinese hopes of a victory. Schwarzer had conceded the penalty - hesitating as he came off his line to clear a hopeful ball from Sun Xiang, and by the time he went in to make a challenge on striker Qu Bo, his timing was out. Down went the substitute, and referee Mohamed Omar Al Saeedi pointed to the spot.

Around the ground and on the pitch, the celebrations had already begun, but Shao Jiayi still had the task of converting from the spot. An unconvincing effort went straight into Schwarzer, who gratefully claimed the ball. The Socceroos even had time to try to steal a win. Deep into stoppage time, Mark Bresciano escaped down the flank and cut the ball back to the edge of the six-yard box, but for some reason David Carney didn't attack it with the goal at his mercy.

And so it was a point apiece, a result which helps Australia much more than China. The hosts, though, can have no complaints, their passive approach playing right into Australia's hands. Apart from a flurry early in the second half, China rarely threatened to speed up the game - negating the altitude factor for the visitors. The fact that coach Pim Verbeek made his only voluntary substitution a few minutes before the end demonstrated how well the Australians lasted the distance.

The first half was the key, and the Socceroos did more than simply survive it, they fashioned the best chance of the game. China turned over possession cheaply in midfield, the ball was funnelled quickly to Brett Holman and his early cross found Bresciano, whose snap shot was heading for the bottom corner before keeper Zong Lei produced a fine reflex save.

It was the closest either team came to a goal before the break, although the hosts did manage three half-chances - Han Peng blocked by a superb covering tackle from Jade North, Zhi Zhenyi failing to connect properly as he closed in on goal, and Zhu Ting volleying over after Australia failed to clear a corner.

But for the Socceroos, and Verbeek, the first half could hardly have gone better. The fear that China would start fast, and hard, failed to materialise, giving Australia priceless breathing space to work themselves into the game. In fact, China's submissive tactics were mystifying, ensuring the tempo was slow, and the Socceroos had plenty of time, and space, on the ball.

China's strikers, Han Peng and Zhu Ting, made it easy for Australia's defenders to play out, but perhaps more important was the home team's failure to pressure either Vince Grella or Carl Valeri in midfield. While both players have touch, they lack pace and tend to struggle to play their way out of trouble.

But they were rarely challenged, giving them time to receive and turn - suggesting the Chinese had failed to do their homework on Australia's patched-up team.

Archie Thompson was crunched on the halfway line by Feng Xiaoting after just three minutes. After hobbling around for another five minutes, Thompson had to go off. But Holman, whose finest performance for Australia came in a friendly against China last year, proved a more than worthy replacement. Indeed, his tendency to play more central gave Australia the closest thing they had to a real striker. Some sort of platform had been laid.

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© 2008 Sydney Morning Herald

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