AFC U23 Asian Cup: Qatar keep Olympic dream alive as Australia crash out of the group stage
Sudesh Baniya in Jassim bin Hamad Stadium
DOHA: As the final whistle blew in a rather humid evening at the Jassim bin Hamad stadium, players in both maroon and green and gold were down. Extreme joy on one side, agony on the other.
Qatar’s gritty defensive performance had just earned them a 0-0 stalemate, and a qualification to the next round of the AFC U23 Asian Cup as the leaders of the group that saw Indonesia qualify over their opponents of the night, Australia.
While the Australian side missing several starters to club duties were not expected to breeze through to Paris, only a few expected them to go out from the group, less so without a win and no goals in the opponents’ net.
It would have always been a tough job following the footsteps of the side that made it to Tokyo and defeated Argentina in the opening fixture. Yet, scenes in Doha were starkly contrasting – the Olyroos looked like a shadow of the side that buried limited chances three years ago.
Against a side limping off a shocking defeat against Indonesia, Qatar coach Ilídio Vale made ten changes, with striker Tameem Mansour the only starter from the previous line-up.
It was obvious that Qatar would be made to work and defend the rest of the night and that the chances would come at a premium. It took the hosts an entire half to register a shot on target, by the time Australia’s overall shots on goal had reached double figures.
In a must-win match, the young Australians were wasteful and did not convert the chances that they enjoyed in the first half. Despite coming up against a compact 4-4-2 Qatari block, the side showed a clear lapse in the final third in terms of converting the chances.
Losing playmaking midfielder Jake Hollman in the 22nd minute – moments after being fouled by Abdallah Sireklhatim – did not help either. While captain Jacob Italiano found himself creating chances and then getting at the end of a couple in the first half, the Olyroos’ shots either lacked precision or were well dealt with by a heavily shuffled backline led by Abdulla Ismail on the night.
Ismail was the one clearing loose balls and lunging into tackles on the night until perhaps the most potent chance fell to his counterpart. With a minute to go in the first half, Italiano was played through on goal with a ball off the top by Lachlan Brook, yet he failed to hit the target.
Australia’s desperate push for a goal in the second half did land a few chances, yet it consequently opened the field for the hosts to play on, who followed suit and failed to hit the target on multiple occasions, ultimately ending with just a shot to trouble Patrick Thomas Beach on goal.
Olyroos’ head coach Tony Vidmar’s final throw of the dice came in with twenty minutes to play, bringing in the Kuol brothers – Garang and Alou – to further trouble the defense. That yielded some chances, the closest one being Brook’s shot, which hit the post and then fell for Ismail to clear.
Al Annabi’s confidence, despite being made to work on the night will certainly be higher, courtesy of their side’s cohesion. Not only have they qualified for the next round putting their last campaign’s agony to bay, but Sunday’s performance showed their ability to be a side that can grow and become stronger as the tournament unfolds.
