I did not find out until after the match that this was Australia's first away win against European opposition for over 20 years. Seen in that light the match was a great success, however the main topic of conversation in regard to this match seemed to be how disjointed the Australians played.
The squad had experienced problems, Mark Schwarzer withdrew due to commitments with Middlesborough, ie FA and League Cup games and attempting to remain in the Premier League, and Craig Moore suspiciously missed a flight and was back at Rangers to play Dundee United about the same time as his countrymen were in Skopje. Still when all is said and done this match was just another friendly against a team not among Europe's elite, a useful side on its day but no more.
The Australians had a 2-3day camp in London some weeks earlier and possibly one or two sessions before the match to prepare and that's no way to build team cohesion. However playing such matches is so while expecting Australia to win 5-0 was unrealistic it was to be expected that Australia do show marked improvement in the game.
Kickoff and Macedonia had a somewhat fanciful shot on goal. It did require stopping from Bosnich but even I could have done it. Also noteworthy were the early decisions from the referee which tend to set the tone of a match. More than once, and I try to say this impartially, the Australians were on the rough end of a decision and while this is a fact of life in football it was another hurdle the Australians could ill-afford.
The Australian defence, who will bear the brunt of the hand of Venables in terms of change of style, seemed to have some trouble settling down and had some problem making assertive clearances or accurate passes away from goal and this allowed Macedonia a bit of hope. Australia themselves were not entirely remiss in attack as shown when Slater won the ball back after another move had broken down. Slater passed to a player I believe to be Steve Horvat, who played an excellent game, and he in turn sent the ball over the top to John Aloisis who had made a run at goal and with the keeper to beat from somewhat wider out than was ideal for him managed only to find the side netting. It could easily have been a goal.
By the same token it was the best chance of the game for Australia and that includes the move which finally did result in a goal.
Venables tactic appears to include having the forwards/midfielders push up on the defenders to stop them measuring a pass and looking for options. Australia perhaps content in the past to take heart with the ball rarely ending up in their net when more than half the field away. Still the tactic helped in that Macedonian passes were going astray and made life a little easier for Australian defenders. Venables was yelling instructions throughout the match, his predecessor more routinely appealed to the referee for a break. I never thought about it before but there you go.
Of course Bosnich wouldn't be himself if he didn't try a few moves not normally in the goalkeeping handbook and so it was that he ran out of the area to stop a Macedonian who had beaten the offside trap, though God only knows how, from also beating him to the ball. He wasn't troubled when Macedonia then tried to lob him from long range while he was out of position.
The Macedonian captain Markovski was fouled (he must have been because he fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes and didn't get up until he was stretchered off) by his Australian counterpart Aurelio Vidmar and the ensuing free kick again didn't trouble Bosnich despite being on target.
Australia for their part were starting to string together passes and making intelligent movements off the ball, and this was in attack. Infact one such move resulted in a shot by the elder Vidmar which was clawed away for a corner by the Macedonian goalkeeper Silevski. Sadly the corner was not noteworthy and ended up a Macedonian free kick.
Bosnich wandered out of his area to do some defending again and more free kicks went the way of Macedonia. Australia too sometimes got themselves undone. In one instance an fast, flowing move, a thing of beauty, brought Ned Zelic and *5* other players to the Macedonian penalty area, with a like number of red shirts, and the cross to the far post which should have found a free Slater ended in the torso of the defender tracking Zelic. It was a very promising situation.
The first half ended with the Macedonian captains replacement and Australia starting to become more confident, holding the ball for longer and generally looking good without being overly threatening.
I must mention the commentator Paul Williams (?) too. He was pathetic. Certainly I don't expect perfection but anyone who says "Durakovic fouls him, but doesn't get a free kick given against him. A little bit lucky there" is obviously struggling for something constructive to say. Another sign is that he was using a lot of adjectives to brighten up precious few nouns, and it was not in the name of being in any way poetic or nostalgic. Just filling airtime.
The seond half was more of the same. An early chance for Aloisi when he ran for a long ball with the Macedonian sweeper for company and Aloisi got the better of him allowing for an attempt back across his body and at goal. The keeper was well positioned and Aloisi, having earlier been to wide of the target, shot at the keeper. Drats again!
Then again Macedonia were also still capitalising on some defensive errors from Australia but never to the ultimate detriment of the scoreline. An error by Kulscar at one stage required a card inducing tackle by TVidmar or Horvat but the presence of Durakovic a little further back perhaps lessened the referees inclination to make notes and he just awarded a free kick in one of the rare decisions which appeared to favour Australia
Macedonia were on the receiving end of a very poor clearing kick from Bosnich after Slater had rolled the ball back to him and a very quick and clean tackle from Horvat saved Mark's blushes. Infact there was a Macedonian offside in the penalty area who got involved in the play after the tackle was made but well for Australia that no rulebooks became involved in post match discussions.
Well basically Australia had chances but nothing to show for it. Macedonia likewise but that is their problem. So in the hope of sparking this match back to life Damian Mori and Danny Tiatto came on for the tiring Aloisi and Zelic. Zelic had played quite well but was just back from an injury and lacking match fitness. Aloisi a little disappointing but debut performances are not often crowned with hat-tricks. The subs gave the team fresh legs and did help the offensive edge, but often these things are double edged swords and these two players also took time getting settled into the play style and speed of the match.
Tiatto infact tackling in defence a player who, sensing he was inside the penalty box, promptly fell and rolled as if on a steep incline. Thankfully the referee was not feeling quite so generous as to award a penalty, there is perceived bias and there is evident bias. Our refereeing friend wasn't crossing that line.
The resulting sequence of play saw a booming clearance by Slater which Mori, as lone Australian in the other half of the field, contested. He won the heading contest with one player which wrong footed another and Mori was bounding off to goal with the ball at his feet and glory in his head. The referee, perhaps seeking to make up to Macedonia for not giving the penalty, pulled the play up for what I can only assume was an impropriety on the heading contest. Foiled again! Curses!
Venables brought Skoko on for Corica as a final attempt to turn the match in Australias favour. There was a shaky moment for Australia as the ball bobbled around the penalty area but the balance of play was in Macedonias half.
Macedonia made another change with 10 minutes left and this seemed to help in producing another good chance for the home side which was poorly taken. Again little trouble for Bosnich. Infact his counterpart in Macedonia's goal was also relatively untroubled with the notable exception of 2 or 3 good Australian chances at goal.
Australia and Macedonia both gave it a bit of a push at the end with some more demonstrations of gravitational pull in the Australian penalty area and Australia fashioning some half chances of their own at the other end. Of of the best was one that never even became a half chance. A free kick was given and as Tiatto stood over the ball Viduka very slowly headed off toward the bunch of players crammed around the penalty spot. Had Tiatto just gently rolled the ball to Viduka has he was beyond the two man wall there would have been plenty of time for an untroubled shot at goal. The thing is that Viduka seemed to be waiting for this to happen, slowing down as he reached that optimal position. Tiatto just patiently waited for Viduka and wasted the kick by putting it at the feet of a defender.
So the goal came in the final minute or so of play. A backpass to the Macdonian keeper was chased by Mori. The keeper hastily tried to return it to the defender who had meanwhile gone down with an injury. Aurelio Vidmar crossed the ball in and Viduka tried to fashion an overhead kick at goal, but missed completely. The ball fell to Tiatto on the far sideline (which was now the near sideline) and crossed back in to Vidmar who had continued his run after *his* cross and the powerful header on goal managed to get by the keeper, though in truth he should have saved it, and trickled over the line.
Nothing else of note happened, there wasn't a lot of time for it to happen in. A solid result for Australia all things considered and certainly something from which hope can draw strength in view of the World Cup qualifiers. The early World Cup games will perhaps still allow room to chop and change players but there must be no mistake when playing (given it eventuates) New Zealand and the 3rd placed Asian side.