Outside90’s James Caughlin takes a look at the best Socceroos performances to come out of tonight’s 5-0 victory over Bangladesh.
A 5-0 victory is about what was expected in this game, though coach Ange Postecoglu began with a slightly experimental lineup as some secondary squad members were given the opportunity to shine against an easier opponent. In this sort of performance, most of the criticisms that come just because saying every member of the squad was amazing would be a little boring. Chances are Postecoglu will be examining every small detail to remind the team there is still a long way to go on the road to Russia.
Adam Federici – 6: In the current FFA/PFA pay dispute, the first thing they may want to look at is how the Australian goalkeeper collected a paycheck from this game, required for one lone save that even Mitch Nichols could have made if he was in between the posts. Realistically he did not have a whole lot to do which leads to this rating as opposed to any glaring errors.
Tarek Elrich – 9: Named as the right-back, Elrich spent more time as an attacking-winger, continually overlapping on the flank. While his delivery was not quite perfect he was able to operate as an outlet when the ball went his way and gave the playmakers a chance to operate.
Bailey Wright – 6: Playing in almost a safety role, he sat back and did what was asked, but with his partners pushing forward he had to stay disciplined despite limited opportunities for Bangladesh.
Matthew Spiranovic – 5: One legitimate complaint from this game is the fact Spiranovic seemed to be constantly in discussions with the referee about committing fouls. On the positive side, he managed to get forward and help his team by adding a big target in the box at set-pieces.
Jason Davidson – 8: Playing in a similar role to his opposite fullback, Davidson was a useful option to start moves up the field and put in good crosses to challenge the over-matched Bangladeshi defenders. The only major question mark over his performance is the ridiculous hairstyle he sported on the field.
Mark Milligan – 8: Named as captain after Tim Cahill was left on the bench, Milligan expertly lead the team at the nib Stadium, completing over 100 passes and receiving credit for an assist on the side’s fifth goal. When Bangladesh did get the ball, he was there to intercept the pass and quickly put the Socceroos back on the attack.
Aaron Mooy – 7.5: Mooy finally was rewarded with a Socceroos goal and, a spectacular half-volley from outside the 18-yard area that left the Bangladesh custodian leaping at thin air. The combination with Milligan appeared to work to high succes, with the team establishing a deadly attacking intent. Mooy was heavily involved all night.
Tom Rogic – 9: Australia’s best performer on the night, Rogic showed why he has been earmarked as a future star for the side with his size and skill. While the second goal of his brace may yet go down as an own goal, it symbolised the run of luck he was having on the night and with the freedom to operate across the pitch he made his presence well known.
Massimo Luongo – 6: If there was to be one criticism of Luongo it would be that he was forcing himself too much on the game. Overall he did nothing wrong, but when in the position to make the final play he seemed to lose a little bit of composure.
Matthew Leckie – 9: No complaints about the effort of the pacey forward in this game. He made himself available with plenty of good runs and was perhaps the busiest player on the pitch in the opening hour (aside from the Bangladeshi keeper of course).
Nathan Burns – 7: A poacher’s goal in the first-half capped a solid performance from the J-League striker. He got himself into the right places and could have easily had a hat-trick, however, like Luongo, he may have been a bit guilty of focusing on the next five goals as opposed to the opportunity in front of him.
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Tim Cahill (61st minute for Leckie) – 7: Brought on to appease the local crowd, Cahill had plenty of chances to score. Unfortunately, he did not quite have the chance to punch the corner flag in this game, but he will certainly be rested and motivated come Tuesday night against Tajikistan.
Chris Ikonomidis (61st minute for Rogic) – 6: The young attacker came on and made a good impression on the game feeding the ball around, however, he appeared to be slightly overshadowed by his teammates and was relegated to a supporting role.
Jackson Irvine (77th minute for Milligan) – 7: In all likelihood he is going to be fairly frustrated with his performance, in the 84th minute he managed to get a header onto the post then on the subsequent corner he nearly poached a goal, but blazed it over the bar instead. With the opponents giving up all semblance of trying to attack he was able to push forward as the game wore on and has shown potential to make further impacts given the chance.
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