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Socceroos vs Paraguay 2026 World Cup match thread 🇦🇺🇵🇾

JS96 said:
Watching back his touches weren't right and he doesn't enjoy central play. I wonder why a instructions Popovic gave him when he called him over.

The wing run when he shot was better. Once or twice he had shots blocked from way out when passing across would've been better.
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Maybe to (judiciously) press at pace hoping to force a mistake from one of their cb's?
 
patjennings said:
so next game?

-------------------Beach----------------
---Circati----Souttar----Herrington
Bos-------_Irvine ---O'Neill -Behich
-----Volpato---------Irankunda----
----------------Toure-------------------
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If we are playing Belgium and Doku is actually playing then he'll most likely play on the left. We cannot have Bos tracking Doku up and back all game, it's a nightmare. Put Bos as the LB and let Italiano, Geria or Behich deal with Doku.
 
tsf said:
I don’t agree with Irankunda getting an 8.5

He was probably a 5

We saw why he’s only where he is at the current moment.

He has flashes of brilliance but last night was terrible. Not only was his passing and feet bad but he was lazy at getting into Position.

Hopefully it’s out of his system.
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Irankunda @number 9

Speed 10/10
Shooting ability 8/10
Hold the ball 1/10
Link up play 4/10
In the air 2/10
 
I thought Paraguay were tactically very sound and played with a lot of intelligence.

I wish pundits would pay more attention to the opposition tactics in games. Sometimes it is as though Aus chooses to play a certain way, when the opposition forces Aus to play a specific way. I’ll shed light on this in my tactical/analysis/stats thread.

Turkey are absolute chumps! They beat USA when it counted for nothing, and were out- thought and underprepared for Paraguay and the Roos.
 
Thrilled to make the knock out rounds.

Now we have had 2 successive Aus coaches, Arnie and Popa, do it in 2 successive WCs.

Have not read all the comments yet, but both Arnie and Popa have IMO been totally underappreciated by fans on these boards.
 
Decentric said:
I thought Paraguay were tactically very sound and played with a lot of intelligence.

I wish pundits would pay more attention to the opposition tactics in games. Sometimes it is as though Aus chooses to play a certain way, when the opposition forces Aus to play a specific way. I’ll shed light on this in my tactical/analysis/stats thread.

Turkey are absolute chumps! They beat USA when it counted for nothing, and were out- thought and underprepared for Paraguay and the Roos.
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Agree. I thought our approach to the game was spot on. Take the initiative early, show we will attack you so you need to be of a defensive mind, but we will not be sacrificing everything for a win.
As a result we ended up playing most of the game under no pressure at all.
 
Decentric said:
I’ve also identified low game sense in Volpato. Great skill, but it looks like he hasn’t played as much football as the other guys his age and younger in the Roos.
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“Low game sense” is harsh. At times he displayed excellent vision with passes others probably wouldn’t make. But, I agree that he can play a bit “head down” when he goes on a dribble and so not make the best decision.
 
Surely Belgium will smash NZ, who are not quite good enough or fit enough at this level. I expect a 4 or 5-0. And it would not be a surprise if Iran gets another dour draw.

So we’ll probably end up with Belgium, but Egypt isn’t nearly as remote as you guys are making it sound.
 
ClockworkOrange said:
“Low game sense” is harsh. At times he displayed excellent vision with passes others probably wouldn’t make. But, I agree that he can play a bit “head down” when he goes on a dribble and so not make the best decision.
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Relative to his same age teammates.

He needs to work out when to dribble and when to pass.

Hrustic was a bit the same. Both players’ skill level exceeds their game sense.

Players like Irvine, Duke, Goodwin and Behich are extremely intelligent players whose game sense exceeds their skill level.
 
Decentric said:
Thrilled to make the knock out rounds.

Now we have had 2 successive Aus coaches, Arnie and Popa, do it in 2 successive WCs.

Have not read all the comments yet, but both Arnie and Popa have IMO been totally underappreciated by fans on these boards.
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Not by me. They have their faults like everyone does but Arnie did great things with a journeyman lineup and Poppa got the best out of them and has also brought in some very promising young players at an absorbable rate. We may need a different style of coach in the near future but these two have done a fine job for us.
 
Decentric said:
Thrilled to make the knock out rounds.

Now we have had 2 successive Aus coaches, Arnie and Popa, do it in 2 successive WCs.

Have not read all the comments yet, but both Arnie and Popa have IMO been totally underappreciated by fans on these boards.
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Popa will hold us back if he hangs around for much longer. His stubborn conservatism ends up feeling stifling and even cowardly. Arnold at least had another gear when required. Popa will always set up with a low block no matter what. I hate coaches like that. He has done the job so far, but it’s not a style I particularly enjoy watching.

Also, playing Irankunda as the sole target man seems stupid because it vastly reduces the chances of scoring. It’s a waste.
 
rebelliousfeminist974 said:
New Zealand have either led or been level at the half against both Iran and Egypt though but the problem is they haven't been able to close out games and get results.
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Because they’re not good enough. They surprised both Iran and Egypt with their aggressive play and clinical strikes, but they tire too quickly and have no answers once the other team starts to take them seriously. I just can’t see them threatening Belgium, who will be keen to prove the doubters wrong.
 
JS96 said:
Many on sokkah Twitter saying this progression feels less than 06 and 22 and it makes perfect sense. 06 was the first, 22 was dramatic against all odds. This time we have an extended tournament with a safety net but also an expectation of the quality of these players.
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This tournament - to me - is ultimately what 2010 should have been. But better - our side is much younger now, which is why I'm excited for 2030
 
ClockworkOrange said:
Agree. I thought our approach to the game was spot on. Take the initiative early, show we will attack you so you need to be of a defensive mind, but we will not be sacrificing everything for a win.
As a result we ended up playing most of the game under no pressure at all.
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I would have liked us to be a bit more attacking in the second half, 1-2 players playing a bit further forward.

Overall, we have some great young players, and they are getting invaluable experience.
 
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