Australia men’s team set blueprint to win elusive first World Cup knockout game in Dallas
Berkeley: The Socceroos will draw on years of lessons from facing Middle Eastern opponents and the pioneering spirit of the legendary Johnny Warren as manager Tony Popovic devises a plan to get past Egypt and prevail in what looks, on paper, Australia’s most winnable World Cup qualifier ever.
Popovic and his team gathered in front of two televisions at the team’s hotel in Berkeley, California, on Friday night (local time) to watch the Iran-Egypt and Belgium-New Zealand matches that will determine who they will face in the round of 32 next week.
The pending outcome changed eight times in 90 minutes but ultimately remained in line with most pre-tournament predictions.
The match at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, will be the Socceroos’ third meeting with the Pharaohs, who are making their first appearance in their World Cup group.
But since this is a Popovic operation, there’s nothing the Socceroos wouldn’t know about them or any other team they might face next.
Although Egypt play in the African confederation, their aggressive, explosive style is reminiscent of the Arab nations the Socceroos have faced in World Cup qualifiers and at youth level throughout Asia; Assistant coach Hayden Foxe admitted the challenge they put forward means he won’t be completely alien to the players.
Team scouts and analysts have long been tracking all possible World Cup opponents based on draw mechanics, but Egypt, ranked 26th in FIFA’s latest world rankings, two places ahead of Australia, has always shaped up as one of the teams they are most likely to face in the next round.
They will now present their findings to the coaching group, who will spend the next few days looking for weaknesses they believe Australia can exploit to take them into uncharted territory.
“He will be a tough opponent; he is someone we watched quite closely, especially last night and in the group stage, because we knew the transition was with this group,” Foxe said.
“They are a very good team, they have really natural technical ability. They play fearlessly in a way, which is a typical African-Arab way of playing football.”
“If you look at their qualifications through AFCON [Africa Cup of Nations]They did not lose any matches. They played against Brazil and Spain in warm-up matches before… They performed very well, so they are a good team.
“But we have really good belief, no matter who starts in the group, we have full confidence and we know everyone will be ready for this game.”
Egypt’s two biggest individual threats, captain Mohamed Salah and Manchester City star Omar Marmoush, are both playing in the Premier League – or at least they were in the case of Salah, whose contract with Liverpool has expired.
It is not yet known whether the 34-year-old player, who injured his knee in the 57th minute of the 1-1 draw with Iran, will take the field. Salah looked despondent on the bench after being substituted and his knee was iced.
If he plays, the Socceroos will do their best to ensure Salah receives the ball in areas where he can do the least damage.
“It didn’t look good for him to come out at that moment, in such an important game. So you think there might be something there – but he’s a very talented player and I’m sure he’ll do everything he can to play in this game,” Foxe said.
The Pharaohs will also be without key midfielder Mohanad Lasheen, a regular starter who plays for Egyptian Premier League powerhouse Pyramids FC.
“A lot of players play in the domestic league, but their domestic leagues are strong,” Foxe said.
“They know each other. They’ve been together a long time, so they play as a team, as a unit, and as we’ve shown, when you play as a team and as a unit, it’s hard to beat.
“All the teams we could face in the next knockout stage have been researched in every detail.
“It’s going to be a great match, I think it’s an exciting challenge for us. Definitely after Paraguay’s performance, Türkiye’s performance against the USA in the second half, we should go into it with great confidence.”
The Socceroos won’t move to Dallas until two days before the game, allowing them to remain in the comfort of their Bay Area base, where they’ve been for a month.
Temperatures in Texas are almost 20 degrees warmer than in Berkeley; Temperatures are expected to reach 36 degrees in Dallas on game day — but luckily AT&T Stadium is indoors and air-conditioned.
The Socceroos have only reached World Cup knockout stages twice before; He suffered defeat in famously heartbreaking fashion against Italy in 2006 and then pushed Argentina all the way in Qatar four years ago.
Foxe said the coaching staff won’t hesitate to use the chance to make history as a way to motivate the players, but they already know what’s at stake.
“They know the impact [they have] It targeted not just football fans but the 27 million Australians in Australia. They know that,” Foxe said.
“It makes them proud to be who they are and to wear that shirt. That’s always been our message: how can we do something special?”
“Before the great man died, Johnny Warren famously said: ‘Why can’t we be the ones to do something special here?’
“To do that, to create history, we need to win this game.”
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