The Football Tragic

The penalty shoot-out is a cruel business. It produces convenient scapegoats and artificial heroes, and its result often fails to reflect the just deserts of the respective sides.

Australia, of course, hadn't done enough to win tonight's game, but then neither had Japan.

Sadly, just as we seemed to be playing our way into the tournament, just as we appeared to have sorted out most of our defensive problems, a calamitous mistake from an otherwise excellent Mark Milligan and a ludicrous red card for Vince Grella forced Australia to grasp for the lottery of penalties - and, though we got there, it wasn't enough.

It might have appeared that the Japanese were approaching the game too timidly right from the outset, but one shouldn't take credit away from the Socceroos. They started brightly and aggressively, as they did against Thailand, and the effect was the same: they managed to put their opponents onto the back foot.

Indeed, the Japanese defence kept a very, very deep line throughout the first half, which meant that switching the play was something of a chore for them. As a result, Australia were not put under sufficient pressure in defence.

It was a pity, however, that Brett Emerton and David Carney did not get forward a little more often. Australia's lack of width meant that our attack, too, lacked variety.

Australia's general rhythm of play, on the other hand, was good. In contrast to the opener against Oman, in which the Socceroos simply put their opponents under no pressure at all, there were brief periods of pressing in between "rest periods" in which the ball was shuffled around the defence. Andante rather than adagio this time, and suitable for the conditions.

The set-pieces of the Japanese, which might have been a considerable worry had Shunsuke Nakamura's radar been functioning properly, were mediocre. Their delivery from the flanks was ordinary. Shunsuke Nakamura, perhaps in an effort to escape the attentions of Grella, dropped deep and popped up on both flanks in an effort to get into his erstwhile groove. He rarely did so.

At the half-time break, although they had played rather the better football, it was hard to see how the Japanese would break through; Naohiro Takahara's ability to find space for himself in the box seemed the most likely route to a goal...and so, ultimately, it proved.

What a pity that, just when Australia had reaped the reward for their patient, canny play, they were hit with a massive double blow. Vince Grella had easily his best game of the tournament (not that this was any great achievement), and he will never receive a softer red card.

It was very strange that Graham Arnold withdrew both the strikers and left Harry Kewell to thrash around alone up front, but Japan's refusal to really take the game to a ten-man Australia - there were still four defenders looking after Kewell even at the final whistle - meant that their own chances to score were limited. I don't feel that either coach emerged from this game particularly well.

Where to now, then, for the Socceroos?

The experience of the Asian Cup has been invaluable. They will surely approach the World Cup qualifiers with greater knowledge, greater respect for their opponents and a greater awareness of how to "play to the conditions". Tonight's game, I feel, showed that they have already made some progress in the latter department.

I stated before the tournament that anything less than a semi-final berth could be considered a relative failure; I still believe that's a fair assessment. We played abysmally in our opening two matches, were somewhat lucky in the third, and finally started playing to our potential when we had already drawn perhaps the toughest possible opponent in the knockout rounds.

Graham Arnold should probably be replaced, but his reign has not been the unmitigated disaster that it will no doubt be considered hereafter. He has perhaps clung too fondly to the tactical schemes of Guus Hiddink, and has not always reacted appropriately to changing game situations. But he deserves credit for rallying the side, and making some necessary changes, after our dismal beginning in the Asian Cup.

Now for the challenge of getting to South Africa.