A rare off-day in the midfield
Jordan identified the threats posed by Tom Rogic and Massimo Luongo and managed to close them down superbly over the 90 minutes. Every time Rogic was around the ball he was swarmed by opposition, before eventually being withdrawn just after the hour mark, although he had one decent looking volley which unfortunately was sent straight at the keeper. Luongo, on the other hand, worked hard but just could not influence the game in a way he would have liked, his evening best summed up by his 77th minute pass to Nathan Burns who was not even looking. With the two main playmakers stifled, most of the forward play was run by Aaron Mooy, who was allowed plenty of time on the ball and showed flashes of intent, but was found wanting more often than not.
https://youtu.be/24B0V3-bsMU
Defenders caught out on the counter
The hosts only seemed to have one thing in mind when they had the ball, kick it long to their pacey striker Hamza Al-Dardour, who was gaving Bailey Wright and Matthew Spiranovic constant headaches. While this may have been a simple tactic, it worked perfectly as the 24-year-old was the best player on the pitch, weaving across the park and winning every battle for the ball. There was no answer from the Socceroos, as the central-defenders could not adjust to the kick and chase strategy.
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