IF the Socceroos’ World Cup qualifier was supposed to be a walk in a Bishkek park for the Asian champs, someone forgot to tell Kyrgyzstan.
In one of the most extraordinary matches they will ever play, the Aussies resolutely maintained composure amid a cauldron of noise, emotion and non-stop attack to prevail 2-1 against an enthusiastic opposition playing the game of their lives.
When Kyrgyzstan captain Azamat Baimatov scored deep into stoppage time, the home team and crowd of 18,000 celebrated as if they had won the World Cup.
PLAYER RATINGS: studs and duds from Roos’ win in Bishkek
Players hugged, a spectator ran onto the field waving a national flag before being dragged away by police, and flares went off in the open stand.The Socceroos then held on manfully for an excruciating last few minutes before Qatar referee Mohammed Khamis mercifully blew full-time.
It had all started exactly to script for the Aussies, with captain Mile Jedinak putting a free kick into the back of the net after just 60 seconds when Matthew Leckie was flattened by a stray shoulder from the kick-off.
The packed out crowd at Dolen Omurzakov Stadium groaned. The Kyrgyzstan players sucked it up and started afresh.
From then on, it was the locals who looked like they were the ones 1-up and putting on a show.
The Australians, fresh from a week-long camp in Dubai at times looked heavy-legged and slow against a team that was overflowing with enthusiasm, speed and some dazzling footwork.
Time and again the locals befuddled the Aussies in the centre of the park and sent their wingers away down the flanks.
After five minutes the break came down the Kyrgyzstan left side. The cross came in but the shot went wide.
A minute later it was on again, this time on the right, the attempt hitting the side of the net.
It was the pattern of the half, and more often than not the man doing the damage was right winger Anton Zemlianuhin whose ball control was mesmerising.
In the lead up to the match Kyrgyzstan’s coach Alexander Krestinin intimated that his match plan would be to concentrate solely on nullifying the Socceroos’ attack. Either he is a great actor, or his players threw the match plan out the window of the team bus.
For much of the first half it was the Australians trying to hold off the locals and slow down the game in the hope that their adrenaline rush would wear down. No such luck. It appeared Krestinin had fielded 11 Energizer bunnies.
The fact that their finishing couldn’t come close to matching their setup, saved Australia countless times. Kyrgyzstan shots at goal flew wide, hit the side of the net, flew over the posts and landed five rows up in the stand.
Australian coach Ange Postecoglou was not surprised by the skill level of the Kyrgys, just their fitness.
“I thought they might die a little bit at the end, but that’s also the crowd factor,” he said.
“With the crowd behind them they had energy right throughout the game and we made things difficult for ourselves. If anything I thought we looked a little bit underdone. Quite a few of our players haven’t played for a while and I think it showed in the end.”
The fact that the opposition finishing couldn’t come close to matching their setup saved Australia countless times. Kyrgyzstan shots at goal flew wide, hit the side of the net, flew over the posts and landed five rows up in the stand.
At times it seemed the Australian goal was the shooting arcade at the amusement park next door to the stadium and someone had handed the Kyrgyzstan strikers a wonky airgun. Even, midway through the second half when Australian ‘keeper Mat Ryan came out of his area and failed to clear, virtually offering an open goal, the locals rushed and put it wide.
Everyone wanted their name on the scoresheet. Everyone wanted to be the national hero.
And who can blame them? This was one of the biggest nights in Kyrgyzstan sporting history. The stadium was lit for the first time, the lights paid for by the Qatar Football Federation as one of their World Cup 2022 legacy projects. Sitting in the VIP area was Prince Ali, one of the favourites to take over the top job in football at FIFA’s upcoming presidential election.
And what a crowd. The local football officials with their tailored suits and mobile phones couldn’t have fitted another person in. They cheered, chanted and roared advice to their players with every break down the sideline — and there were many.
It was only at the 78 minute mark when Australian replacement Tommy Oar scored from a counter attack that began when Kyrgyzstan lost possession well into Socceroo’s territory, that the Aussies finally had a buffer that could withstand that last, successful foray downfield.
This was a huge victory for the Socceroos. The surface of the pitch was uneven, they were frustrated at rulings that went against them when opposition players hit the deck following the slightest of challenges, and they were playing against 18,011 Kyrgys.
It was a hard night, but they toughed it out and Postecoglou says they will be better for the experience.
“I’m happy because they got through that experience and won the game because they’ll learn a hell of a lot from that sort of environment,” he said.
“We’re going to have to go to places throughout Asia where that sort of atmosphere is just commonplace. It’s not easy qualifying through this process and to get a win away, so I’m pleased.”
In one of the most extraordinary matches they will ever play, the Aussies resolutely maintained composure amid a cauldron of noise, emotion and non-stop attack to prevail 2-1 against an enthusiastic opposition playing the game of their lives.
When Kyrgyzstan captain Azamat Baimatov scored deep into stoppage time, the home team and crowd of 18,000 celebrated as if they had won the World Cup.
PLAYER RATINGS: studs and duds from Roos’ win in Bishkek
Players hugged, a spectator ran onto the field waving a national flag before being dragged away by police, and flares went off in the open stand.The Socceroos then held on manfully for an excruciating last few minutes before Qatar referee Mohammed Khamis mercifully blew full-time.
It had all started exactly to script for the Aussies, with captain Mile Jedinak putting a free kick into the back of the net after just 60 seconds when Matthew Leckie was flattened by a stray shoulder from the kick-off.
The packed out crowd at Dolen Omurzakov Stadium groaned. The Kyrgyzstan players sucked it up and started afresh.
From then on, it was the locals who looked like they were the ones 1-up and putting on a show.
The Australians, fresh from a week-long camp in Dubai at times looked heavy-legged and slow against a team that was overflowing with enthusiasm, speed and some dazzling footwork.
Time and again the locals befuddled the Aussies in the centre of the park and sent their wingers away down the flanks.
After five minutes the break came down the Kyrgyzstan left side. The cross came in but the shot went wide.
A minute later it was on again, this time on the right, the attempt hitting the side of the net.
It was the pattern of the half, and more often than not the man doing the damage was right winger Anton Zemlianuhin whose ball control was mesmerising.
In the lead up to the match Kyrgyzstan’s coach Alexander Krestinin intimated that his match plan would be to concentrate solely on nullifying the Socceroos’ attack. Either he is a great actor, or his players threw the match plan out the window of the team bus.
For much of the first half it was the Australians trying to hold off the locals and slow down the game in the hope that their adrenaline rush would wear down. No such luck. It appeared Krestinin had fielded 11 Energizer bunnies.
The fact that their finishing couldn’t come close to matching their setup, saved Australia countless times. Kyrgyzstan shots at goal flew wide, hit the side of the net, flew over the posts and landed five rows up in the stand.
Australian coach Ange Postecoglou was not surprised by the skill level of the Kyrgys, just their fitness.
“I thought they might die a little bit at the end, but that’s also the crowd factor,” he said.
“With the crowd behind them they had energy right throughout the game and we made things difficult for ourselves. If anything I thought we looked a little bit underdone. Quite a few of our players haven’t played for a while and I think it showed in the end.”
The fact that the opposition finishing couldn’t come close to matching their setup saved Australia countless times. Kyrgyzstan shots at goal flew wide, hit the side of the net, flew over the posts and landed five rows up in the stand.
At times it seemed the Australian goal was the shooting arcade at the amusement park next door to the stadium and someone had handed the Kyrgyzstan strikers a wonky airgun. Even, midway through the second half when Australian ‘keeper Mat Ryan came out of his area and failed to clear, virtually offering an open goal, the locals rushed and put it wide.
Everyone wanted their name on the scoresheet. Everyone wanted to be the national hero.
And who can blame them? This was one of the biggest nights in Kyrgyzstan sporting history. The stadium was lit for the first time, the lights paid for by the Qatar Football Federation as one of their World Cup 2022 legacy projects. Sitting in the VIP area was Prince Ali, one of the favourites to take over the top job in football at FIFA’s upcoming presidential election.
And what a crowd. The local football officials with their tailored suits and mobile phones couldn’t have fitted another person in. They cheered, chanted and roared advice to their players with every break down the sideline — and there were many.
It was only at the 78 minute mark when Australian replacement Tommy Oar scored from a counter attack that began when Kyrgyzstan lost possession well into Socceroo’s territory, that the Aussies finally had a buffer that could withstand that last, successful foray downfield.
This was a huge victory for the Socceroos. The surface of the pitch was uneven, they were frustrated at rulings that went against them when opposition players hit the deck following the slightest of challenges, and they were playing against 18,011 Kyrgys.
It was a hard night, but they toughed it out and Postecoglou says they will be better for the experience.
“I’m happy because they got through that experience and won the game because they’ll learn a hell of a lot from that sort of environment,” he said.
“We’re going to have to go to places throughout Asia where that sort of atmosphere is just commonplace. It’s not easy qualifying through this process and to get a win away, so I’m pleased.”
Australia 2 (Jedinak 1m, Oar 78m) beat Kyrgyzstan 1 (Baimatov 93m) at Dolen Omurzakov Stadium, Bishkek. Crowd 18,000.
Socceroos Lineup: 1. Mat Ryan (gk), 2. Ivan Franjic, 4. TimCahill (9. Tomi Juric 87’), 5. Mark Milligan, 6. Matthew Spiranovic, 7. Mathew Leckie, 13. Aziz Behich, 14. James Troisi (17. Matt McKay 71’), 15. Mile Jedinak, 16. Nathan Burns (11. Tommy Oar 56’), 22. Alex Wilkinson
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