Oh I’ve wasted my life!
While the defenders had very little to do in stopping the Kyrgyzstan attackers, it was a bit more of a challenge than the initial test of Bishkek. That being said, they still probably had the easiest job in the stadium. Post-game, Postecoglu highlighted the attacking work rate of debutant James Meredith as well as Ryan McGowan who were able to help out with the attack getting forward. Early on Meredith, made his presence felt with an aggressive pass into the box and looked at home in the setup. Even Simon Hill noted that he had barely had to mention the name Bailey Wright, who was holding down the fort at the back.
My eyes! The goggles do nothing!
It was not all smooth sailing for the Socceroos with a handful of injuries worth keeping an eye on. As mentioned earlier, Juric has a groin injury and is unlikely to feature in Bangladesh next week. Burns picked up a cork with a knee-on-knee collision and should recover in time. Coming off the half time break, it was mentioned that Adam Federici picked up a shoulder injury getting ready for the second half. However, it did not seem to have much of an impact on him drinking from his water bottle and taking goal kicks.
He’s embiggened that role with his cromulent performance.
Before signing off it must be noted how impressive Kyrgyzstan goalkeeper Matiash Pavel was throughout the game. Were it not for some impressive, desperate saves, the Socceroos could have posted a cricket score.
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