The Socceroos put on a spirited display but it was not to be, losing 1-0 to England at Wembley Stadium in London.
Not a single player from the green and gold team could be disappointed with their performance as everyone worked extremely hard to replicate the same feat of the 2003 team that beat England 3-1.
Foxsports.com.au explains how everyone behaved Socceroos player ratings!
Watch every match of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup live ad-free on Kayo Sports. Join Kayo now and start streaming instantly >
Matt Ryan: 6.5
On a soft surface he was forced to show off his ball skills perhaps more than he would like, with numerous back passes coming his way, including one quite atrocious from Cameron Burgess. But Ryan was exceptional with his distribution despite the conditions. He always read the long ball well as England projected him forward and cleared the danger with his sharp movement. He did just about well enough one-on-one with Ollie Watkins in the first half, forcing the striker wide – with Watkins only managing to hit the post from a tight angle after rounding Ryan.
He couldn’t do much when Watkins headed home to convert Jack Grealish’s driven cross and was rarely called into action throughout the match.
Kye Rowles: 6
For the second consecutive match in the green and gold, the centre-back was asked to play on the left side of the backline, and concerns arose early on as the England attack danced around him to create the first chance of the match in ten minutes. . But after being badly exposed in that incident, he fit into the match well and fought hard against Bowen. Having never backed down from a tackle, he found himself bloodied and needed treatment after an initial blow to the head, but he played with a large bandage. He almost scored but volleyed home from close range after a corner in the first half.
Cameron Burgess: 5.5
The uncompromising centre-back showed his tenacity after suffering a brutal tackle to the shins after 20 minutes – for which the Australian was penalized in some way. There was an incredibly nervous moment in the 25th minute when a miscommunication with Ryan saw Burgess play a waist-high back pass from a tight angle inside his own penalty area – forcing Ryan into a desperate clearance inside the penalty area. Unfortunately, he was caught napping at a critical moment as he failed to block Jack Grealish’s cross which was converted by Ollie Watkins.
Harry Soutar: 7
Things may not be going exactly as he would have imagined at club level, but it was an emotional return to form for Souttar, who was imperious in defense. He was caught out of his pace once or twice by England’s well-timed runs behind the line, but his defensive work in recovering his ground was exceptional, highlighted by an outstanding tackle just before the whistle. halftime which – if he had timed it wrong – it would certainly have been a penalty.
Ryan Strain: 7
A solid display from St Mirren on their first start for the Socceroos.
He received an early warning for a cynical foul on Jack Grealish, but Strain did not shirk his defensive duties and continued to mount several important challenges throughout.
Strain could have – and should have – opened the scoring when he made a breathtaking run into the box to receive the ball from Martin Boyle, but his effort was cleared off the line by Lewis Dunk.
Ultimately, he did an exceptional job of keeping Grealish, a £100million superstar, quiet for most of the evening.
Jackson Irvine: 6
The fact that Irvine has recovered so quickly after suffering a torn lateral ligament in the Socceroos’ friendly against Mexico is a minor miracle in itself.
But the midfielder rarely looked like he was returning from injury in a display of action.
Irvine didn’t touch the ball as much as he perhaps would have liked, as his main objective was to stop England’s star-studded midfield.
Keanu Baccus: 8
Baccus did not shy away from a challenge at all throughout his time on the pitch and even carried England defender Levi Colwill.
Physical battle aside, Baccus showed off his brilliant technical abilities by constantly finding ways to get out of tight spaces to keep the game flowing.
Baccus also played a lovely ball into the path of Martin Boyle late in the first half which almost led to a goal, but it didn’t.
Connor Metcalfe: 6
Having played largely as a winger for club FC St Pauli, Metcalfe slotted in as a second striker in support of Mitchell Duke.
Unfortunately, he didn’t get as many clean breaks on goal and had to expend a significant amount of energy trying to track down the England defense.
Metcalfe came agonizingly close to a late equalizer but his header hit the post.
Was replaced in the 90th minute by Mohamed Touré.
Craig Goodwin: 7.5
The winger gave England plenty of headaches with his dribbling and willingness to advance from the left flank.
His performance from a set piece was also exceptional and could – or should – have been rewarded with a goal.
As well as his quality from set pieces, Goodwin produced numerous flicks and tricks to help open England up as he took his club form for Al-Wehda onto the international stage.
He got a much-needed break when he came off in the 73rd minute for Brandon Borrello.
Martin Boyle: 6.5
Boyle’s electric pace posed a constant threat on the counter-attack and the Australians were certainly looking to utilize him by playing long balls over his path.
Even though he didn’t come close to reaching the ball, Boyle showed his courage by going after it all.
The Hibernian outfielder produced the Socceroos’ best opening of the game when he latched onto a long ball from Baccus and slipped Ryan Strain, who was denied on the line by a last-ditch block.
Mitchell Duke: 5
Duke shot wide with a thumping volley early in the first half, and it was the only look at goal they actually got.
He had the thankless task of challenging every ball sent forward and pressing the English defense and although Duke had reserves of energy, his legs could only maintain that energy for so long.
His defensive work came at a cost as it was not as effective as he would have liked going forward.
SUBSCRIBERS
Jordan Bos: 5
He replaced Mitchell Duke in the 73rd minute.
Normally a left-back, Bos was deployed high up the pitch for the final 20 minutes in an interesting tactic from Arnold.
Bos was confident with the ball but lacked the one-on-one skills to take on his marker.
Brandon Borrello: 5
Replaced Craig Goodwin in the 73rd minute.
It was largely anonymous as the Australians tried to find an opening.
Awer Mabil: 6
Replaced Martin Boyle in the 83rd minute.
Mabil’s biggest moment came when he came back and made a crucial block in the final minutes of the match, although he looked sharp and tried to make something happen in the final third.
Aziz Behich: 6
He replaced Kye Rowles in the 83rd minute.
Behich didn’t do much offensively, but he was calm under pressure as the last defender on corners.
He was comfortable as England countered from corners and made a strong challenge to prevent the hosts from adding another late goal.
Lewis Miller: 5
Replaced Ryan Strain in the 73rd minute.
Made his Socceroos debut but didn’t quite have the same industry as Strain, although it’s difficult to make a big impact as an incoming defender with 20 minutes of action left.
Mohamed Touré: N/A
Replaced Connor Metcalfe in the 90th minute.
A pleasing moment for the 19-year-old making his Socceroos debut, although he had little time to make an impact on the competition.
