Outside90’s James Caughlin wraps-up the top Australian performances from around the globe to come out of the latest round of football action
Matthew Spiranovic – Hangzhou Greentown [GOAL]
There must be something in the Chinese Super League that brings out the best attacking instinct of the Australian players. Now even the defenders are getting in on the act, with Matthew Spiranovic scoring his first goal for new club Hangzhou Greentown in just his third appearance. Admittedly a bit lucky, he deflected a misplaced header into the far post which we will call on purpose rather than a lucky accident.
Tim Cahill – Shanghai Shenua [GOAL]
You should never get bored of seeing the Socceroos veteran scoring goals, even if they happen every week. What is somewhat surprising about this is the fact that he not only scored with his foot, but it was a penalty. Tim Cahill has never been one to step up to the spot, in fact this was only his second career spot kick and first successful one to the best of the statistician’s recollections. His other listed attempt came in March 2004 while at Millwall, during a 4-1 victory over West Ham, denied by Pavel Srnicek.
Mat Ryan – Valencia [CLEAN SHEET]
After putting together an impressive performance for his new side in their Champions League play-off victory during the week, Ryan backed this up with his first La Liga clean sheet in Valencia’s opening round draw with Rayo Vellecano. It appears as though Mat Ryan has earned first go at filling in for the injured incumbent Diego Alves as he recovers from his knee injury. He was involved in this morning’s 2-1 return defeat to AS Monaco, which secured his side’s spot in the Champions Group stages.
Tom Rogic – Celtic [MAN OF THE MATCH]
One of the more intriguing story lines to follow in Europe this season, the Socceroos enigma once again starred for his side and put together a man of the match performance before being withdrawn in the 79th minute.
Massimo Luongo – QPR [ASSIST]
In what was the Championship’s most exciting game of the weekend, Massimo Luongo got in on the action contributing to a six-goal thriller which his side won 4-2. Winning a race for the ball down the right-flank, he dribbled into the box before squaring the ball to Tjaronn Cherry to score a second of the game, giving QPR a 2-0 lead. Luongo was substituted with just under 10 minutes to play as his side defended a 3-1 lead before both teams scored late on to settle the final result. QPR are in a rich vein of form at the moment, scoring seven goals in the last two games to move into sixth on the league table, however, a pesky habit of conceding twice in every game so far might be something worth looking into for the London side.
Jackson Irvine – Ross County [FULL GAME]
One of the surprises to be included in the Socceroos squad will have a great deal of confidence heading into camp. He played a full 90 minutes in Ross County’s convincing 4-0 victory over Kilmarnock over the weekend. They dominated the game and scored all their goals just before the half-hour mark. Ange Postecoglu may see these upcoming fixtures as an opportunity for someone like Jackson Irvine to get some national team minutes under his belt and having been a regular starter for his domestic side, he is certainly fit enough to handle the demands compared to some who are not seeing a lot of time on the pitch.
What are your thoughts? Let us know by dropping a comment below via our Facebook comment box. Make sure you follow us on Twitter @Outside90 and like us on Facebook.
