Australia's 2010 World Cup Qualifying Campaign (2 Viewers)

stazi

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so qatar beat china. This greatly increases our chances of advancing to the next round. If we win this game, we're guaranteed a spot in the next group stage.

edit: whoa, and oman beat japan
 

stazi

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oh lol wait apparently the oman japan game was merely in progress. apparently it's 1-1 now.

are there any sites with better live scoring that soccernet, which is being utterly gay right now.
 

stazi

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whoa! bet365 has live video streaming of the japan match
 

shannonm

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hahaha know someone that had money on brazil beating venezuela in the friendly yesterday

overall top results for the aussie qualifying campagn
 

stazi

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the results haven't been that great, tbh. we've struggled to win each game.
 

stazi

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last 5 mins were excellent. sure we didn't score, but i saw that fire that we had through the entire world cup tournament. pim needs to bring it out of the players for fullg ames.
 

Peartie

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if we had won this game no matter any other results, according to news reports and football australia, we would have finished in the top 2 of the group hence qualified - so i dont see why everyone was saying even if we win we havent definatley qualified
 

Captain Gh3y

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Socceroos' on brink of disaster'

VAL MIGLIACCIO
June 08, 2008 06:30am

THE Socceroos' desert storm expedition to the Middle-East is now hovering on the brink of disaster after its 0-1 loss to Iraq at Dubai's Al Ahli Stadium.

The Socceroos 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign is now in jeopardy after coach Pim Verbeek started the match without an outright striker in sight this morning.

Australia was expected to qualify for the final phase four of AFC World Cup qualifying after Qatar beat China 1-0 in a shock result in China last night.

But Australia's loss in 33 degree heat blew Group 1 wide open with only the top two nations from the group of four qualifying for Asia's next stage of the World Cup.

With two group matches remaining, the Socceroos are leading the group with seven points, Qatar is now equal second on seven points with Iraq (four points) and China (three points) still within reach of getting through.

Verbeek had two distinguished strikers sitting on the bench - Celtic's 31-goal hero Scott McDonald was introduced into the fray for skipper Harry Kewell in the 70th minute while Karlsruher's giant forward Josh Kennedy was shoved into attack after 65 minutes.

Kewell's exit posed even more questions as the Socceroos' playmaker was sacrificed for Australia's route one to goal method after it was chasing an equaliser.

Australia's other creative forward Mark Bresciano didn't see any action at all while ex-Adelaide United striker Bruce Djite wasn't listed among the substitutes.

Verbeek's men now need to secure a victory over Qatar in Doha next Sunday morning or potentially risk playing Russian roulette against China in Sydney on June 22.

All Australia needed was a win against Iraq this morning - the 10 points would have been enough for the Socceroos to walk away from Group 1 without having to worry about its final two matches of phase three qualifying.

But Iraq re-kindled its 2010 World Cup hopes after a long-range shot from Ernad Mohammed caught Socceroos' keeper Mark Schwarzer off guard with the new Fulham keeper seemingly expecting a cross rather than a looping 30m ball in the 28th minute.

The goal stunned the Socceroos - it was the first one conceded under Verbeek's six-match reign.

However Verbeek seemingly showed his intent in Dubai from the kick off.

His Socceroos starting formation was shaped for a draw at best.

When Colchester United's Chris Coyne made his Socceroos debut as a sweeper in a back-three formation and Kewell was assigned to the pointy end of Australia's seven-man midfield the cards were evidently laid out on the table.

Not since the reign of late Socceroos coach Eddie Thompson in the 1990's have the Socceroos deployed a sweeper system with ex-Adelaide City defender Milan Ivanovic the king of sweepers - when it was fashionable.

But this morning's Socceroos system allowed Iraq to exploit the Australians in the first half as the 2007 Asian Cup champion continually isolated the back-three with looping diagonal balls which bypassed the clogged up midfield.

Asia's No.1 FIFA ranked nation, however, put pressure on Iraq once Kennedy and McDonald were finally unleashed into attack in the second half.

The Iraqi win, nonetheless, was a remarkable achievement for the war-torn nation which hasn't played a home match since 2003.

Iraq has been forced play its home matches in Jordan, Syria, Qatar or the UAE for security reasons.

http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,23830153-5006373,00.html
 

stazi

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Peartie said:
if we had won this game no matter any other results, according to news reports and football australia, we would have finished in the top 2 of the group hence qualified - so i dont see why everyone was saying even if we win we havent definatley qualified
That was dependant on the qatar v china match:

Hypothetically, if China won:

Australia: 10pts
China: 6pts
Qatar: 4pts

Qatar beat Australia and Iraq, then China beat Australia and Iraq:

China: 12pts
Qatar: 10pts
Australia: 10pts

it could have gone down to goal difference.
 

Psychokiller

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the repercussions if they dont qualify will b hug3, leading to a downward spiral, like all those years b4 '05
 

Captain Gh3y

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Psychokiller said:
the repercussions if they dont qualify will b hug3, leading to a downward spiral, like all those years b4 '05
You're not Cro by any chance are you?

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Qatar coach Jorge Fossati has warned Australia that his team for this weekend’s 2010 World Cup qualifier in Doha will be a vastly different proposition to the one that surrendered so meekly to the Socceroos in February.

Group 1 leaders Australia and Qatar meet in Doha on Sunday morning (AEST) with access to the next and final phase of qualifying at stake.

Pim Verbeek’s Australians got their campaign to reach the finals in South Africa off to a brilliant start with a comprehensive 3-0 victory at Telstra Dome in Melbourne.

But this time Australia won’t have it that easy, vowed Fossati.

“The Socceroos deserved their victory back then but that is history now,” said Fossati, who was in charge of the Uruguay team that fell to Guus Hiddink’s Socceroos in the World Cup play-off in 2005.

“You cannot change the past but you certainly can shape the future and things are much different now.

“I respect the Australian team because it is very strong but I have complete faith in my players because they have improved a lot since Melbourne.

“They do not see this as an opportunity to erase the 3-0 defeat in Australia but they are focusing on the job ahead.

“They are playing with confidence and developing a strong character which makes me optimistic of getting the required result in Doha.”

Qatar sprang a surprise on Matchday Four last weekend when they overcame China 1-0 away with a first-half penalty goal from striker Sebastian Quintana.

The Uruguayan-born goal poacher missed the match in Melbourne due to suspension but he will line up against the Aussies this time around.

Fossati said he was pinning his hopes of beating the Socceroos on quicksilver Quintana.

“Quintana is a very important player for us but I don’t know if he can make the difference. Only God knows that,” he said.

“Of course we can beat Australia, why not!

“I repeat, Australia are very hard to beat and I respect them but in a tournament such as this (where fortunes fluctuate) it is important to grasp the moment and this might just be our moment.

“We are playing well and we will give it our best shot but that does not mean we will succeed. Only fools think that winning is easy.

“If we do our job properly we will have a big chance but really it’s in the hands of God.”

Australia and Qatar share the group leadership with seven points, three more than Iraq and four more than China.

So a draw at the weekend would probably suit both sides, especially if the other game of the round also ended in a draw.

However Fossati, who has seen a video of Australia’s last match against Iraq, declared that his side would not commit the same mistake of being as cautious as the Australians.

“My philosophy is that if you go into a match thinking of a draw you make things difficult for yourself. It’s too risky,” he said.

“But if you go for a win it might be a bit easier to get the draw you want.

“Australia have played defensively in their away matches so far but I do not believe they will defend in Doha.

“I expect the Socceroos to attack us and we will go for a win too, so it should be a good match.

“Having said that, sometimes what you plan for a match turns out to be different to what actually takes place on the field. And of course Australia are good enough to turn all your plans upside down.

“But in the end if the match in Doha finished in a draw I think we both would be happy with the result.”

Qatar, who trail the Australians on goal difference, will have the backing of thousands of fans at the boutique Al Sadd Club in Doha for the match scheduled to start Saturday at 7pm local time in temperatures expected to be hovering around 38 degrees.

Australia’s “Super June” will come to an end on Sunday 22 June with the match against China at ANZ Stadium.

The draw for the final phase of Asian qualifying takes place at AFC House in Kuala Lumpur on Friday 27 June.
 

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