It was hard work in Dushanbe, but the Socceroos came away from their World Cup qualifying match against Tajikistan with a 3-0 win.
While the scoreline and statistics say it was a comfortable outing, Ange Postecoglou’s men were forced to work hard in warm conditions, against a determined opponent who caused more than their fare share of concern. Outside90’s James Caughlin takes a look at the best individual performances from the Australia squad.
Adam Federici – 7: Given more work in the opening half alone than he saw all last week, Federici was solid when called upon and made no major errors in a hostile environment.
Ryan McGowan – 6: Brought in as a more defensive option in place of Tarek Elrich, McGowan was tested with many of the Tajikistan attacks coming down his flank. When he did get forward, his delivery was inconsistent at best as he struggled to control his passes. He did produce a nice assist for Cahill’s first, but is still growing into his role as a national team fullback.
Bailey Wright – 6: He had a difficult job trying to cut out the constant counter-attacks, but was able to prevent any threat getting through and looked very comfortable in this line-up.
Matthew Spiranovic – 7: After an uneasy showing against Bangladesh, Spiranovic was much more composed this week.
Jason Davidson – 5: Another rough outing for the Socceroos left-back, Davidson was inconsistent and failed to make a real impact on the game.
Mark Milligan – 7: Scorer of Australia’s first goal, Milligan was once again industrious in midfield, playing a more defensive role in this game and leaving the playmaking to his midfield counterparts.
Aaron Mooy – 7: It took Mooy a while to find his range, but when on point he was a handful, especially from the dead balls. He was a central figure for the Australians throughout his time in the game, but like the entire team, was on the back foot more than he would have been comfortable with.
Matt McKay – 6: A selection that appeared to befuddle observers, McKay put in a solid, but unspectacular performance. He found himself in shooting position occasionally and did exactly what was expected over the 90. While he is not the most technically gifted player, his work rate was impressive and he found himself in the right areA more often than not.
Massimo Luongo – 6: A player that had to make the most of limited opportunities, he was denied a lot of time and space on the ball, yet still found a way to have an impact.
Mathew Leckie – 6.5: For the entire time Leckie was on the pitch he was a nuisance for the defenders to deal with, but often found himself outmuscled when facing the bigger central-defenders.
Tim Cahill – 7.5: A tap-in goal from the acting skipper gave the Socceroos a comfortable cushion, but the veteran had to deal with some stiff attention all evening. It appeared as though the Tajikistan team were not going to let Cahill defeat them on his own. Unfortunately for the hosts, as the game wore on Cahill began to assert himself and was rewarded with a second in the dying moments.
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Substitutes
Nathan Burns (67th minute for Mooy) – 8: A fantastic cameo, Burns came on and provided a width that had been sorely lacking and was able to help stretch a tired defensive unit. He very easily could have had a goal of his own, but was denied by an impressive save.
Tom Rogic (67th minute for McKay) – 6: A solid showing from Rogic, he was not able to assert himself with much of the ball going out wide in his time on the pitch, but still had a role to play.
Tommy Oar (79th minute for Leckie) – 8: Perhaps his best showing for the national team, Oar had a simple job to do, which was get out wide and cross the ball into the box, setting up Cahill’s second late on.
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