Mathew Leckie’s late strike earned Australia a narrow 1-0 win over Greece in the Dodoni series opener earlier tonight.
Ange Postecoglou’s side controlled possession on the field from the outset, yet only a few clear chances on goal materialsed in the first-half. Robbie Kruse came the closest to finding a breakthrough at either end, when his strike from the top of the box forced a diving save from Orestis Karnezis.
Little changed in the second-half, with Australia continue to dominate the ball in midfield only to be pushed back time and time again by the stubborn visitors. Only two goals on target came before Tim Cahill header was disallowed in the 89th minute, only for fellow substitute Leckie to strike home the winning goal with seconds remaining.
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Socceroos
Mat Ryan – 6: Calmly dealt with the little attacks Greece posed his direction.
Jason Geria – 5.5: Looked nervous at the back even under little pressure, but was better when joing the attack further up the field.
Milos Degenek – 6: Stuck to his defensive responsibilities throughout the game, although there was little threat posed by the opposition.
Brad Smith – 7.5: An impressive night for the Liverpool defender, passing with a pinpoint eye up the wing and delivering a few decent crosses into the box.
Trent Sainsbury – 8: An absolute rock on the left-side of defence, stopped every Greek attack into the box and hardly put the ball out of place. Hit the post with a close-range shot inside the last 10 minutes.
Mark Milligan – 6.5: Anchored the midfield line with his usual expert ability.
Robbie Kruse – 6.5: Kept Australia on the front-foot during his time on the field, passing well and cutting out any Greece counters on the half-way line. Was replaced in the second-half.
Aaron Mooy – 8: Saw a lot of the ball and worked hard across the midfield line, but his supply into the danger areas was somewhat below-par, perhaps due to a lack of targets up front.
Mile Jedinak – 5: His physical presence was helpful in the midfield battle.Too eager to go for the long-range strike at times though and did not generate any chances with set-pieces.
Nathan Burns – 4.5: Lost the ball too many times when in the final-third and lacked composure in front of goal.
Substitutes
Mathew Leckie – 8.5: A dying minute long-range goal means the youngster was the hero of the match. Was a refreshing source of energy for the second-half and displays judgement with the ball beyond his years.
Tom Rogic – 6: Was kept out of the final third for the most part after his introduction.
Tim Cahill – 6: Came on for the last 20 and looked to have provided his trademark header from inside the box to win the game, only for the 89th minute goal to be disallowed.
Christopher Ikonomidis – 5: Had little time on the ball while on the field.
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