Greece have taken out game two of the Dodoni Series, defeating a scratchy Australia 2-1 in front of 33,622 fans at Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night in a spiteful affair.
Very few Socceroos impressed, condemned to defeat by first half strikes from Petros Mantalos and Ioannis Maniatis; the latter of whom’s effort was the highlight of the night, chipping Adam Federici from his own half.
The 2-1 scoreline was a just reflection of the play, with the hosts very much second-best. The vast majority of the Socceroos’ usually reliable lynchpins were well below par, and the performance leaves boss Ange Postecoglou with more questions than answers as the national team breaks until September.
The defeat is only Australia’s second on home soil since the 2015 Asian Cup.
Adam Federici – 3.5: Seemingly tasked with a sweeper role, Federici would face a very, very busy shift. That sweeping saw him spectacularly caught off his line by Maniatis’ strike from beyond halfway, an effort that was Beckhamesque. Still, the Bournemouth shot-stopper joined the not-so-esteemed club of glovemen to be beaten from the opposite half.
Ryan McGowan – 4.5: Struggled to provide anything in attack and was opened up only moments after conceding. Very fortunate that the ensuing chip sailed over the crossbar.
Bailey Wright – 3: Poor. Scratchy playing out from the back and was guilty of losing his marker at set pieces.
Trent Sainsbury – 6: Uncharacteristically poor in defence with a series of erroneous passes in dangerous areas. Made up for his early sloppiness by getting Australia back into contention in the 58th minute, scoring after a goalmouth scramble.
Alex Gersbach – 4: Committed an ugly tackle as Greece broke on the verge of half time. Received a yellow card but may well have been red in a competitive fixture. Something of a tough starting debut for the Rosenborg youngster. Replaced by Brad Smith with 25 minutes to play.
Mark Milligan – 4.5: Apostolos Vellios legally stripped him of possession in midfield and was made to pay, as Petros Mantalos gave Greece an early advantage. Another who was below par.
Aaron Mooy – 6: The man quickly establishing himself as the Socceroos’ fulcrum saw plenty of the ball once more, but his usual passing and crossing radar seemed a little off. Apo Giannou replaced him on 70 minutes.
Tom Rogic – 5: Often found space in the hole, but failed to produce any clearcut opportunities and faded as the minutes rolled by.
Robbie Kruse – 5: The livelier of the forwards, but could not find that extra bit of quality.
Mathew Leckie – 4: A quiet night having scored against the same opposition days ago, mostly ineffectual on a lean night for the Australian strikers.
Tim Cahill – 5.5: The stand-in skipper was starved of opportunity, but made a vital contribution as his team found a lifeline, climbing highest at a corner that was eventually bundled in by Sainsbury.
Substitutes
Milos Degenek – N/A: Replaced McGowan.
Brad Smith – N/A: Provided some drive but only one half-chance to note.
Apo Giannou – N/A: Could not add any extra bite up front.
Chris Ikonomidis – N/A: Tried but could not threaten on the left.
Nathan Burns – N/A: Made some sloppy errors after being introduced.
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