Socceroos hold final training as they look to bounce back against Tunisia
Australia and Tunisia are going head to head in a crucial Group D match at the Qatar World Cup.
Both sides are looking for their first win of the tournament at the Al Janoub Stadium, after Tunisia shared a goalless draw with Denmark in their opening match, while Australia were well beaten by the reigning champions France. Any victory here will give the winners a real shot at progressing to the knockout rounds, with France and Denmark meeting later today, in which these two sides will be hoping France can inflict maximum damage in order to open up second spot in the group.
Tunisia and Australia have met only twice before: the Australians won a friendly in 1997, and Tunisia won their only competitive meeting at the 2005 Confederations Cup.
Follow all the action with our live blog below:
Tunisia 0-0 Australia
9 mins: Tunisia had an early moment where they got the ball into the Aussies box but since then the team from down under have impressed.
They’re pressing well and utilising the wide areas for crosses.
Tunisia 0-0 Australia
6 mins: Lovely play in the middle of the pitch from Australia. They work the ball up to Mathew Leckie who shimmies out of a tackle before sliding a pass out to Goodwin on the left side.
Goodwin swings an early cross into the middle but Ali Al-Abdi rises to nod the ball away. It comes as far as Aaron Mooy who holds it up and wins a free kick.
Tunisia 0-0 Australia
3 mins: Craig Goodwin makes a run down the left wing as Australia feed the ball down the line. The forward puts on a spurt but can’t catch up to the pass before the ball rolls out of play.
Kick off: Tunisia 0-0 Australia
Australia get the match started knowing that a loss today would knock them out of the World Cup. They send the ball long and it’s defended easily enough by Tunisia.
Tunisia vs Australia
This will be a close encounter with the winning team taking a huge step closer to the knockout games.
Qatar’s World Cup streaming service blocked in Saudi Arabia
A Qatar-based broadcaster is in talks with Fifa after its World Cup streaming service was blocked in Saudi Arabia by that country’s government.
The broadcaster, Bein Sports, holds the rights to World Cup matches in Saudi Arabia and will screen 22 of them free-to-air there.
However, the remaining 42 can only be watched via its streaming service, which has been blocked in Saudi Arabia since an hour before the opening ceremony last Sunday.
Bein Sports is now in urgent talks with Fifa to resolve the issue
Australia’s fearless teen could make an ‘Owen-esque’ impact in Qatar
Garang Kuol has yet to start a single senior game of football but some in Australia believe the teenage striker could have the same impact for the Socceroos in Qatar as Michael Owen had for England at a similar age in the 1998 World Cup in France.
Owen was already an established first-team player at Liverpool when he lit up his first finals with a stunning goal against Argentina but 18-year-old Kuol is undeniably blessed with similar blinding pace, touch and self-confidence.
Kuol became the youngest Socceroo since Harry Kewell when he won his first cap off the bench in a 2-0 friendly win over New Zealand in September and had an immediate impact with a decisive role in the move that led to Australia’s second goal.
That was an echo of his cameo in the A-League All Stars exhibition match against Barcelona in May when he bamboozled jet-lagged Spanish defenders apparently at will to leave Xavi impressed with his “obvious talent”.
The Egypt-born striker became the youngest Socceroo since Harry Kewell when winning his first cap in September
Tunisia vs Australia
The Tunisians are aiming to record two unbeaten matches within a single World Cup campaign for only the second time after 1978 (W1, D1, L1).
Meanwhile, the Aussies have won just two of their 17 World Cup matches (D4, L11).
Tunisia vs Australia
The warm ups are well underway at the Al Janoub Stadium in Qatar. This one should be a closely fought affair and whoever scores first could give themselves a huge boost in the game.
(Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
England booed off after USA draw in latest underwhelming World Cup display
England’s chances of winning this World Cup right now look as far away as this supposed protest against Qatar’s laws and attitude to LGBTQ+. Such present concerns also had historical echoes. England still haven’t beaten USA in a World Cup match. Much more relevantly, they for long periods looked an inferior team in this dismal 0-0 draw. They had fewer chances and much less impetus and energy.
It means that, far from going and lifting this trophy, England must currently be much more concerned with going out. That is the position Gareth Southgate’s side have now put themselves in.
And while it would take an awful lot for a faltering Wales to turn this group around in the final game and eliminate England, we are talking about a team that went from rampantly putting six past Iran to one barely able to muster a shot on target at the Al Bayt Stadium.
England 0-0 USA: Gareth Southgate’s team now have a performance on the pitch that was as disappointing as their efforts to support LGBTQ+ rights in Qatar off it