Written by Thomas Esamie. For more details see credits.
| With a new coach appointed just prior to Australia Day Australia began to embark on their preparations for the World Cup with this match against Norway, their 3rd ever meeting and Norway's first win. Also (well before this match) the announcement was made that Graham Arnold would take over the Socceroos coaching role immediately after the world cup for the full 4 year cycle. This was a Friendly match. | ||||
| Played : March 23 | Venue : Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo | |||
| Norway Rune Jarstein, Omar Elabdellaoui, Birger Meling, Kristoffer Ajer, Tore Reginiussen, Markus Henriksen, Mohamed Elyounoussi (Iver Fossum 87), Fredrik Midtsjo (Martin Odegaard 78), Stefan Johansen, Bjorn Johnsen, Ola Kamara Goals : Kamara 36, 57, 90, Reginiussen 48 |
4 | - | 1 | Australia Mathew Ryan, Bailey Wright (Aleksandar Susnjar 52), Aziz Behich, Mark Milligan, Milos Degenek, Mile Jedinak (Massimo Luongo 61), Mathew Leckie (Nikita Rukavytsya 85), Aaron Mooy, Jackson Irvine (Tomas Rogic 61), Dimitri Petratos (Robbie Kruse 74), Andrew Nabbout (Tomi Juric 67) Goal : Irvine 19 |
| Referee : Andreas Ekberg (Sweden) Linesmen : Mehmet Culum (Sweden), Stefan Hallberg (Sweden) Attendance : 5871 Coaches : Bert Van Marwijk (Australia), Lars Lagerbaeck (Norway) | ||||
| Squad Listing | ||||
| After 3 matches in the past Australia were still looking for their first win against Colombia and trying to get up to speed quickly with the World Cup less than 3 months away. They didn't get the win, and on balance didn't deserve one, but Danny Vukovic's penalty save made it feel like one. This was a Friendly match. | ||||
| Played : March 27 | Venue : Craven Cottage, London, England | |||
| Australia Brad Jones (Danny Vukovic 46), Josh Risdon, Aziz Behich, Mark Milligan, Milos Degenek, Massimo Luongo (Jackson Irvine 90), Mathew Leckie (Nikita Rukavytsya 88), Mile Jedinak, Tomas Rogic (James Troisi 83), Andrew Nabbout (Robbie Kruse 73), Tomi Juric (Tim Cahill 63) |
0 | - | 0 | Colombia David Ospina Ramires, Santiago Arias Naranjo, Johan Andres Mojica Palacio, Cristian Eduardo Zapata Valencia, Oscar Fabian Murillo (Yerry Fernando Mina Gonzalez 53), Abel Enrique Aguilar Tapias (Miguel Angel Borja Hernandez 46), James David Rodriguez Rubio (Giovanni Andres Moreno Cardona 83), Wilmar Enrique Barrios Teran, Andres Mateus Uribe Villa (Yimmi Javier Chara Zamora 70), Carlos Arturo Bacca Ahumada (Jose Heriberto Izquierdo Mena 75), Radamel Falcao Garcia Zarate (Jefferson Lerma 46) |
| Referee : Robert Madley (England) Linesmen : Harry Lennard (England), Edward Smart (England) Attendance : 18664 Coaches : Bert Van Marwijk (Australia), Jose Pekerman (Colombia) | ||||
| Squad Listing | ||||
| Announced on the 22nd of May Australia chose to not have a "farewell" match at home prior to the World cup in favour of an extended training camp and 2 more matches in Europe. This one against the Czechs and another against Hungary. This was a Friendly match. | ||||
| Played : June 1 | Venue : St Polten NV Arena, St. Polten, Austria | |||
| Australia Mat Ryan, Josh Risdon (Milos Degenek 76), Aziz Behich, Trent Sainsbury, Mark Milligan, Aaron Mooy, Mathew Leckie (Daniel Arzani 84), Massimo Luongo, Robbie Kruse (Dimitri Petratos 73), Andrew Nabbout (Jamie Maclaren 61), Tomas Rogic (Jackson Irvine 66) Goals : Leckie 32, 72, Nabbout 54, Jugas 80og |
4 | - | 0 | Czech Republic Tomas Koubek, Jan Boril, Filip Novak, Tomas Kalas, Jakub Jugas, Josef Husbauer, Patrik Schick (Josef Sural 75), Vladimir Darida, Antonin Barak (Jan Sykora 57), Jan Kopic (Tomas Horava 83), Michal Krmencik (Jakub Jankto 46) |
| Referee : Alexander Harkam (Austria) Linesmen : Andreas Witschnigg (Austria), Robert Steinacher (Austria) Attendance : 665 Coaches : Bert Van Marwijk (Australia), Karel Jarolim (Czech Republic) | ||||
| Squad Listing | ||||
| This was a Friendly match. | ||||
| Played : June 9 | Venue : Groupama Arena, Budapest, Hungary | |||
| Hungary Peter Gulacsi (Denes Dibusz 46), Gergo Lovrencsics (Attila Fiola 73), Janos Szabo, Paulo Vinicius, Tamas Kadar, Krisztian Vadocz, Roland Varga, Jozsef Varga, Laszlo Kleinheisler (Marton Eppel 66), Roland Sallai (Kevin Varga 84), Adam Szalai (Daniel Bode 62) Goal : Sainsbury 88og |
1 | - | 2 | Australia Mat Ryan (Brad Jones 46), Josh Risdon, Aziz Behich, Trent Sainsbury, Mark Milligan, Massimo Luongo (Mile Jedinak 46), Mathew Leckie, Aaron Mooy, Tomas Rogic (Jackson Irvine 64), Robbie Kruse (Daniel Arzani 73), Andrew Nabbout (Tomi Juric 46 (Tim Cahill 80)) Goals : Arzani 74, Kadar 90og |
| Referee : Matej Jug (Slovenia) Linesmen : Attendance : 10091 Coaches : Bert Van Marwijk (Australia), Georges Leekens (Hungary) | ||||
| Squad Listing | ||||
| 2 penalties and a goal decided by goal line technology that looped over the keeper thanks to a cruel deflection almost like the goal Batistuta should never have been credited with in 1993. Anyway France failed to impress given their pre-tournament hype and at least some of that was thanks to Australias well structured approach but it wasn't really a game they deserved to win. A draw would have been nice. Alas. This was a World Cup Finals match. | ||||
| Played : June 16 | Venue : Kazan Stadium, Kazan, Russia | |||
| Australia Mat Ryan, Josh Risdon, Aziz Behich, Trent Sainsbury, Mark Milligan, Mile Jedinak, Mathew Leckie, Aaron Mooy, Robbie Kruse (Daniel Arzani 84), Andrew Nabbout (Tomi Juric 64), Tomas Rogic (Jackson Irvine 72) Goal : Jedinak 52pk |
1 | - | 2 | France Hugo Lloris, Benjamin Pavard, Lucas Hernandez, Raphael Varane, Samuel Umtiti, N'Golo Kante, Corentin Tolisso (Blaise Matuidi 78), Paul Pogba, Antoine Griezmann (Olivier Giroud 70), Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele (Nabil Fekir 70) Goals : Griezmann 58pk, Behich 80og |
| Referee : Andres Cunha (Uruguay) Linesmen : Mauricio Espinosa (Uruguay), Julio Bascunan (Chile) Attendance : 41279 Coaches : Bert Van Marwijk (Australia), Didier Deschamps (France) | ||||
| Squad Listing | ||||
| It's hard to watch your side kick into gear only when it goes behind and then struggle to get something out of the game when in reality this was a must win game. A draw is mathematically a lifeline but it's the kind that isn't really anchored to anything when you start to pull on it. This was a World Cup Finals match. | ||||
| Played : June 21 | Venue : Samara Arena, Samara, Russia | |||
| Australia Mat Ryan, Josh Risdon, Aziz Behich, Trent Sainsbury, Mark Milligan, Aaron Mooy, Mathew Leckie, Mile Jedinak, Robbie Kruse (Daniel Arzani 68), Andrew Nabbout (Tomi Juric 75), Tomas Rogic (Jackson Irvine 82) Goal : Jedinak 38pk |
1 | - | 1 | Denmark Kasper Schmeichel, Henrik Dalsgaard, Jens Stryger Larsen, Simon Kjaer, Andreas Christensen, Thomas Delaney, Yussuf Poulsen (Martin Braithwaite 59), Lasse Schoene, Christian Eriksen, Pione Sisto, Nicolai Jorgensen (Andreas Cornelius 68) Goal : Eriksen 7 |
| Referee : Antonio Mateu (Spain) Linesmen : Roberto Diaz (Spain), Bamlak Tessema (Ethiopia) Attendance : 40727 Coaches : Bert Van Marwijk (Australia), Age Hareide (Denmark) | ||||
| Squad Listing | ||||
| There wasn't really much point in this match unless France actually beat Denmark, which was never really going to happen. In a painfully familiar set of circumstances Australia's possession, chances and shots (if you can call them that) didn't amount to much and Peru in return were clinical in making the most of their opportunities to win the match fairly comfortably. Another World Cup that could have been so much more with a measure of luck and, obviously, more of a cutting edge because it's hard to win a group solely on penalties awarded. The Socceroo's will return with a new head coach in Graham Arnold and trying to retain the Asian Cup. Ultimately it was also Mile Jedinak's last game for the Socceroos announcing his retirement on October 1. This was a World Cup Finals match. | ||||
| Played : June 26 | Venue : Fisht Stadium, Sochi, Russia | |||
| Australia Mat Ryan, Josh Risdon, Aziz Behich, Trent Sainsbury, Mark Milligan, Mile Jedinak, Mathew Leckie, Aaron Mooy, Robbie Kruse (Daniel Arzani 58), Tomi Juric (Tim Cahill 53), Tomas Rogic (Jackson Irvine 72) |
0 | - | 2 | Peru Pedro Gallese, Luis Advincula, Miguel Trauco, Christian Ramos, Anderson Santamaria, Yoshimar Yotun (Pedro Aquino 46), Andre Carrillo (Wilder Cartagena 79), Renato Tapia (Paolo Hurtado 63), Christian Cueva, Edison Flores, Paolo Guerrero Goals : Carillo 18, Guerrero 50 |
| Referee : Sergei Karasev (Russia) Linesmen : Tikhon Kalugin (Russia), Ryuji Sato (Japan) Attendance : 44073 Coaches : Bert Van Marwijk (Australia), Ricardo Gareca (Peru) | ||||
| Squad Listing | ||||
| So begins the Arnold era with the new coach looking towards getting ready for the Asian Cup. Announced in September this match was to be the first outing for the new coach. This was a Friendly match. | ||||
| Played : October 15 | Venue : Al Kuwait Sports Club Stadium, Kuwait City, Kuwait | |||
| Kuwait Hameed Al Qallaf, Dhary Said Abdullah, Amer Maatouq Al Fadhel (Mohammad Frieh 82), Fahad Al Hajeri, Fahad Al Enezi (Omar Al Hubaiter 67), Fahad Al Ansari, Abdullah Mawi (Ahmed Al Dhafiri 71), Khaled Mohamed Ibrahim Hajjah (Mohamed Al Khaled 62), Sultan Al Enezi (Faisal Zayed 46), Yaqoub Al Tararwa (Mashari Al Azmi 46), Hussain Al Mosawi |
0 | - | 4 | Australia Daniel Vukovic, Aziz Behich (Alex Gersbach 83), Trent Sainsbury, Joshua Risdon (Thomas Deng 76), Mark Milligan, Jackson Irvine (Mustafa Amini 76), Tom Rogic, Massimo Luongo, Robbie Kruse (Daniel Arzani 65), Apostolos Giannou (Tomi Juric 65), Mathew Leckie (Awer Mabil 73) Goals :Khalid Mohamed Ibrahim 12og, Giannou 21, Rogic 82, Mabil 88 |
| Referee : Yaqoob Said Abdullah Abdul Baqi (Oman) Linesmen : Abdullah Ali Abdullah Al Jardani (Oman), Abdullah Al Shammakhi (Oman) Attendance : Coaches : Graham Arnold (Australia), Romeo Jozak (Kuwait) | ||||
| Squad Listing | ||||
| Announced in August this match was to be a stern (or as stern as friendlies tend to be) test against the Koreans. This was a Friendly match. | ||||
| Played : November 17 | Venue : Lang Park, Brisbane | |||
| Australia Mat Ryan, Joshua Risdon, Aziz Behich, Trent Sainsbury, Mark Milligan, Massimo Luongo, Mathew Leckie (Tomi JUric 85), Aaron Mooy, Tomas Rogic, Robbie Kruse (Awer Mabil 55), Jamie Maclaren (Martin Boyle 71) Goal : Luongo 90 |
1 | - | 1 | South Korea Kim Seung-gyu, Lee Yong, Hong Chul, Kim Min-Jae (Jung Seung-Hyun 85), Kim Young-Gwon, Hwang In-Beom (Kim Jung-Min 90), Moon Seon-Min (Na Sang-Ho 69), Koo Ja-Cheol (Suk Hyun-Jun 46), Nam Tae-hee, Lee Chung-Yong (Lee Jin-hyun 81), Hwang Ui-Jo (Suk Hyun-Jun 46) Goal : Hwang Ui-Jo 22 |
| Referee : Jumpei Iida (Japan) Linesmen : Attendance : 32922 Coaches : Graham Arnold (Australia), Paulo Bento (South Korea) | ||||
| Squad Listing | ||||
| Next a match up against fellow Asian Cup qualifiers Lebanon and the farewell to Socceroos legend Tim Cahill who on many occasions pulled Australia's backside out of the fire. A remarkably long lived career for an outfielder, let alone a forward, his strength, tenacity and innate ability to defy gravity and hang in mid air will be sorely missed. Though I hope not... if you know what I mean. This was a Friendly match. | ||||
| Played : November 20 | Venue : Sydney Olympic Stadium | |||
| Australia Mat Ryan (Danny Vukovic 46), Rhyan Grant, Aziz Behich, Trent Sainsbury (Matthew Jurman 85), Milos Degenek, Jackson Irvine, Martin Boyle, Mustafa Amini (James Jeggo 74), Aaron Mooy (Tim Cahill 82), Awer Mabil (Mathew Leckie 66), Tomi Juric (Andrew Nabbout 69) Goals : Boyle 19, 41, Leckie 68 |
3 | - | 0 | Lebanon Mehdi Khalil, Nassar Nassar, Walid Ismail (Hassan Ali Cheaito 88), Joan Oumari, Nour Mansour (Moataz Bellah Al Junaidi 71), Kassem El Zein, Bassel Jradi (Nader Matar 75), Samir Ayass (Rabin Ataya 60), Adnan Haidar, Omar Bugiel (Mohamad Haidar 6 (Hassan Samih Cheaito 85)), Hassan Maatouk |
| Referee : Ryuji Sato (Japan) Linesmen : Attendance : 33268 Coaches : Graham Arnold (Australia), Miodrag Radulovic (Lebanon) | ||||
| Squad Listing | ||||
| As a final preparation match ahead of the Asian Cup Australia took on Oman to try to find a way to play without Aaron Mooy in the team and give the team a sense of match fitness, particularly those who are not getting regular game time with their clubs. In the other side former Socceroos coach Pim Verbeek is managing the Omanis. This was a Friendly match. | ||||
| Played : December 30 | Venue : Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai, United Arab Emirates | |||
| Australia Mathew Ryan, Milos Degenek, Rhyan Grant, Trent Sainsbury (Matthew Jurman 83), Aziz Behich, Mustafa Amini (Massimo Luongo 64), Mark Milligan (Jackson Irvine 72), Chris Ikonomidis, Awer Mabil (Alex Gersbach 83), Andew Nabbout (Martin Boyle 72), Robbie Kruse (Jamie Maclaren 64) Goals : Nabbout 10, Ikonomidis 14, Mabil 24, Degenek 58, Irvine 89 |
5 | - | 0 | Oman Fayeez Al-Rushaidi, Mohammad Al-Musalami, Mohammed Al-Sheiba (Khalid Al-Braiki 46), Ali Al-Busaidi, Saad Al-Mukhaini (Mahmoud Al-Mushaifri 46), Mataz Saleh Raboh, Harib Al-Saadi, Ahmed Al-Mahaijri (Yaseen Al-Sheyadi 62), Jameel Al-Yamadi (Raed Saleh 62), Mohsin Al-Khaldi, Khalid Al-Hajri (Muhsen Al-Ghassani 66) |
| Referee : Omar Mohamed Al Ali (UAE) Linesmen : Attendance : closed doors match Coaches : Graham Arnold (Australia), Pim Verbeek (Oman) | ||||
| Squad Listing | ||||